New Meridian

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Are you curious about the future of state assessments? Dive into this interview from Rick Hess with Arthur VanderVeen as he discusses New Meridian's "classroom-up" approach to innovative assessment and how this system strives to make tests more useful for educators and students: https://bit.ly/3WoMbNx
Education Week

Can State Tests Be Useful for Instruction and Accountability? (Opinion) An assessment company is aiming to eliminate the gap between what local assessments and the respective state test is delivering.

DEIB in the workplace is an imperative, long-term initiative. Where does our newest Chief Operating Officer, Eileen Shihadeh, start?

"The first step for a company in implementing DEIB practices in their work is to firmly establish that it’s a priority. Period. You must actively decide to allocate time, energy, and resources towards creating an employee experience that fosters a culture of belonging. The next step is to audit the current status, establish goals, and assemble a cross-functional, diverse task force."

Read more from our chat with Eileen about Prioritizing Belonging In The Workplace:
https://bit.ly/40FygTI

The Value in Prioritizing Belonging in the Workplace Eileen Shihadeh recently joined New Meridian as chief operating officer in March of 2023. Her appointment comes at a time of growth for the company, and with that, opportunity. Shihadeh works across several departments to spearhead the company’s growth strategy and improve operational efficiency. ...

Understanding the development and scoring of state assessments is critical for teachers to help their students perform their best. We've created courses to help increase awareness and understanding of state-level assessment processes.

Access our courses today to improve your assessment literacy: https://bit.ly/41haGhx

New Meridian Interactive Learning Courses: Assessment Literacy Basics Assessment data is critical in understanding how our schools are serving students, and provides valuable insight into where students start and end their learning journey during a school year so we can best support their needs for success in school and in life.Assessment literacy helps to shape opi...

We believe a quality education requires supporting the cultural identities of our students, and that means giving them an equal opportunity to succeed when taking tests. Our bias and sensitivity review process ensures that every test question goes through a rigorous vetting process so that no student is left taking a test on an unequal footing.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3mQ31a6

Creating a Fair Test at New Meridian We believe a quality education requires supporting the cultural identities of our students, and that means giving them an equal opportunity to succeed when t...

Montana educators, here's some great news! Montana OPI has requested a Field Test Flexibility Waiver from the USED to address concerns about over-testing. If approved, this waiver would provide needed support as Montana carves a path in using a through-year assessment to generate a single summative score. This work is about more than one organization or one state; it's about a collective effort and a shared vision. Together, we can bring about a meaningful change in classrooms, and Montana is leading the charge!

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3IFKYvr

U.S. Department of Education Montana Office of Public Instruction

Montana looks to expand alternative school testing model following pilot program The state of Montana is trying out a new model for student testing – based on more assessments throughout the year instead of a single large test at the end of the year.

Bellwether recently released supplemental videos in addition to their new briefs in order to help leaders and policymakers better understand how statewide assessments are developed and used.

Check them out: https://bit.ly/3MGR5B8

www.youtube.com

Kudos to the Montana Office of Public Instruction for taking action! They have approached Federal officials with a Field Test Flexibility Waiver, which could eliminate the need for double testing next year as they pioneer a new assessment system that can benefit the people who need it most: teachers and students. This would save valuable instructional time and resources to make summative assessment more useful at the classroom level. This waiver is a step to revolutionize summative assessment in the classroom, and it’s thrilling to see Montana pioneering this work.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3IFKYvr

Montana looks to expand alternative school testing model following pilot program The state of Montana is trying out a new model for student testing – based on more assessments throughout the year instead of a single large test at the end of the year.

Help us make an impact on student success. At New Meridian, we are looking to redefine the status quo. Our people are the drivers behind our products’ success as we passionately believe our assessments will have an impact on the brightest minds of today and tomorrow.

Explore careers at New Meridian: https://bit.ly/3Dnk6wg

Careers Make a Difference at New Meridian When you join New Meridian, you become part of a team committed to transforming student assessments. We believe quality assessments expand equity by helping prepare all students to be curious and engaged thinkers who are ready to solve the problems of tomorrow. Come...

Being in person with our team is always a good time! We love nothing more than seeing their smiling faces. As a remote company, New Meridian truly values any time that our employees get to be face-to-face. We're already counting down the days to our next time together!

We recently chatted with Eileen Shihadeh, Chief Operating Officer about her vision for the future of DEIB work at New Meridian. We asked, "When you talk about monitoring progress for a DEIB task force, how would you do that?"

"There is both quantitative and qualitative feedback that can inform our progress. On the quantitative side, we look at demographic data, not just as a whole company, but also within departments. We also measure attrition, advancement, pay, recruitment and the candidates being considered for open positions. We also regularly survey employees to solicit feedback to understand how we’re doing. You can measure progress through a combination of metrics and hard numbers as well as commentary from the people we’re aiming to serve."

See more from our conversation with Eileen: https://bit.ly/40FygTI

The Value in Prioritizing Belonging in the Workplace Eileen Shihadeh recently joined New Meridian as chief operating officer in March of 2023. Her appointment comes at a time of growth for the company, and with that, opportunity. Shihadeh works across several departments to spearhead the company’s growth strategy and improve operational efficiency. ...

"Can an assessment also be engaging?"

Any quality assessment should encourage students to think critically. In recent years, the topic of socio-scientific issues (SSI) has been increasingly explored. These are issues that have both a scientific component and implications for society, like the exploration of food deserts or the testing of testosterone levels in professional athletes. When students see a connection between what they are learning in the classroom and their everyday lives, they are more engaged.

See more common questions around assessment: https://bit.ly/3RjetXh

What Teachers Should Know About Assessment As educators, we are constantly bombarded with news about the pandemic and the “learning loss” that occurred. Most articles attribute this decline to inconsistent attendance, the switch from in-person to virtual, and other classroom disruptions. Solutions seem to be in shorter supply. As distric...