Close reading is a great approach to turning “complex” into “simple” by providing concrete steps to decode material.

Here are three approaches to evaluating whether students have closely-read the complex text: Ask questions that are open-ended and require evidence. Ask questions that require students to think and understand what they're reading. Ask questions that plumb the depths of the text being read .while considering only information contained there, not from outside sources

Three digital tools make close reading happen: iAnnotate Snap! Learning Reading A-Z

Students said there were annoying aspects to doing a test on a computer, but overall they said they preferred it. They said it was cumbersome to type out a formula; they complained there was no scratch paper to solve math problems (actually, scratch paper is allowed, but a proctor on the first day misread the rules).

“Geometry concepts are hard to remember,” said Daisy De La Cruz, who is now taking Calculus. Desiree said, “In the past, questions went gradually from easy to hard. This one was jumbled.” Field tests are designed to test the validity of questions, not simulate actual tests that students will take starting next year. As a result, there was an intentional randomness in the question selection and order that caught students by surprise. Questions ranged from pre-algebra they took in middle school to graphing problems in pre-calculus, students said.

some schools, districts, and states are developing more robust performance tasks and portfolios as part of multiple-measure systems of assessment.

In addition to CCSS-aligned consortia exams, multiple measures could include: Classroom-administered performance tasks (e.g., research papers, science investigations, mathematical solutions, engineering designs, arts performances); Portfolios of writing samples, art works, or other learning products; Oral presentations and scored discussions; and Teacher rating of student note-taking skills, collaboration skills, persistence with challenging tasks, and other evidence of learning skills.

How can we engage students in assessments that measure higher order thinking and performance skills—and use these to transform practice? How can these assessments be used to help students become independent learners, and help teachers learn about how their students learn? How can teachers be enabled to collect evidence of student learning that captures the most important goals they are pursuing, and then to analyze and reflect on this evidence—individually and collectively— to continually improve their teaching? What is the range of measures we believe could capture the educational goals we care about in our school? How could we use these to illustrate and extend our progress and successes as a school?