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Most teacher evaluation frameworks do a good job in helping us identify strengths and areas for growth. They support us in collecting evidence, organizing observations, and even conducting important professional conversations. But the fundamental question that needs to be answered if evaluation is to make a difference is How? Author: Harvey F. Silver, Ed.D.

From the outside, testing can look like one day on the calendar. Students enter a room, sit down, and complete an assessment. Behind that moment are rosters, accommodations, room assignments, staff coverage, materials, documentation, and last-minute changes. Coordinators have to make sure each student receives the right test, language, and supports.

Testing season may have wrapped up, but the coordinators who feel calmest next year are the ones making a few key decisions right now.

Four significant changes are hitting Texas K-12 at the same time. Each one touches a different part of your operation. Together, they don't leave much room for a slow start. Here's what's changing, what it means for your role, and what to have in place before the year begins.

Authors Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio on why teacher evaluations feel punitive and how trust, curiosity, and small moments change everything.

Trust is the foundation of any evaluation system that actually works. If evaluation has become something people are simply trying to “get done,” the entire conversation piece disappears.

When people hear the words graduation tracking, they usually think about high school. But from what I’ve seen in education, graduation tracking does not really begin in high school. In many ways, it starts with middle school counselors.

I’ve served in the education and nonprofit space for close to 15 years, and I can’t remember a time when I’ve heard this much skepticism around budgets.

Spring evaluations play a critical role in teacher retention, but many school leaders underestimate just how much these final conversations influence whether educators return the following year.

Not every student needs a four-year degree. Not every path should look the same. And not every decision needs to be final. Student planning should not be about locking a kid into one future too early. It should be about helping them see what is possible.

In a recent Conversations with Educators webinar, Brad Miller, School Counseling Director at Perry Meridian High School, shared how his team uses data to cut through that complexity, helping counselors prioritize students, reduce surprises, and start the next school year with clarity.

Student accommodations are more than a checklist item during testing season. They are a legal requirement, a matter of equity, and a daily operational responsibility for districts and campuses.

You cannot lead instruction from behind a desk. The more you are in classrooms, the more you understand what is happening on your campus, the more trust you build with teachers, and the more credibility you have when it is time to give feedback.

Ask experienced test coordinators about the final ten days before testing, and you’ll hear the same answer every time: Your brain never stops running through the checklist.

Student data tracking is no longer just a classroom habit or a well-organized teacher’s spreadsheet. Instead, it has become a district-level responsibility with real implications for accountability, equity, compliance, and instructional continuity.

Most educators can tell you what doesn’t work: the one-day workshop that sounds inspiring in August but fades by October. The slide deck gets filed away. The binder collects dust. And real classroom challenges continue.

Student testing history represents more than a timeline of exams and policies. It tells a story of how American education has defined fairness, measured learning, and held schools accountable for results.

Graduation is more than a ceremony. It is the result of years of planning, advising, course completion, and careful monitoring of degree requirements. For district leaders and counselors, the stakes are high. One missing credit, one overlooked course requirement, or one reporting error can delay a student’s graduation and create compliance challenges for the school.

When I think back on my years as a principal, the truth is simple: no two days ever looked the same. You walk in with a plan for your day, but within five minutes, that plan is gone. Something always pulls you in a different direction.

Graduation planning carries more weight than ever. District leaders are accountable not only for credits earned but also for college enrollment, industry credentials, military readiness, and measurable postsecondary success. In states like Texas, College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators directly affect accountability ratings and funding.

If you’ve ever discovered a missing government credit weeks before graduation — or realized a student failed a required course that never made it back into their schedule — you know how quickly small tracking gaps can turn into major stress.

District leaders understand that test coordination is high-stakes work. When it goes right, no one notices. When it goes wrong, the consequences can be serious; compliance issues, equity gaps, staff burnout, and frustrated families.

For many test coordinators, spring assessments don’t feel like a season; they feel like a survival test. The work is high-stakes, the timeline is tight, and even a “small” miss (an accommodation change, a new enrollee, a flag that didn’t get turned on) can turn into a stressful scramble on test day.

Teacher staff development can’t be an afterthought. In most school districts, educators are balancing packed classrooms, evolving instructional standards, growing student needs, and constant accountability pressure, all while navigating staffing shortages and limited time. When professional development is treated as a handful of isolated workshops, it rarely supports real growth or lasting improvement.

Teaching evaluations can carry significant weight in K–12 schools. For educators, they often come with high stakes, limited time, and memories of processes that felt rushed or inconsistent. For administrators, teaching evaluations sit at the intersection of instructional quality, accountability, and professional growth, all while balancing competing priorities across a district.

State testing is one of the most visible responsibilities a school or district carries each year. Families see the results. State agencies monitor compliance. Educators feel the pressure. And behind every standardized test score is a web of coordination, logistics, and accountability that most people never see.

When people hear “superintendent evaluation,” the reaction is often the same. It feels like a required process, something that happens once a year, and something everyone just needs to get through.

For charter networks, evaluation is rarely simple. Leaders are often responsible for managing hundreds of rubrics, multiple staff roles, and varied state or authorizer requirements, all while trying to keep the focus on instructional quality and educator growth.

Professional development (PD) is one of the most significant investments charter networks make each year, yet it’s also one of the hardest to measure. Leaders are often left asking whether PD time and dollars are actually improving instruction or simply checking a box to meet requirements.

For charter networks, supporting staff success doesn’t start, or end, with evaluation. It spans the entire lifecycle of an educator’s experience: hiring, onboarding, feedback, professional development, and long-term growth.

Different states, authorizers, and school models often require unique rubrics, timelines, and reporting structures. What starts as flexibility can quickly become fragmentation, making it difficult for leaders to see trends, support growth, or ensure consistency across schools.

Charter networks today are being asked to do more than ever before. Prove impact, meet rising accountability expectations, and support educator growth across increasingly complex systems.

High-stakes moments in K–12 don’t leave much room for error. Testing windows, student accommodations, accountability reporting, and graduation verification all hinge on one foundational element districts often underestimate: clean, reliable data.

Graduation requirements are complex, but they aren’t mysterious. Counselors know the policies. Districts know the standards. States publish the guidance. Graduation tracking doesn’t fail because people don’t care. It fails because clarity arrives too late.

Texas schools, teachers, and administrators have always worked hard to support students who struggle with state assessments. What House Bill 1416 changes is not the intent, but the accountability.

Across the country, district testing and assessment leaders are navigating expanding accommodation requirements, shifting testing models, staffing shortages, and increased legal and public scrutiny. At the same time, expectations for accuracy, equity, and documentation continue to rise—often without additional resources or staff.

Somewhere along the way, professional development started getting a bad reputation. Too often, it became a one-size-fits-all presentation: two district-wide PD days where everyone, regardless of experience or interest, heard the same exact thing.

As counselors navigate another busy school year, the demands continue to grow. Rising caseloads, increasing accountability requirements, evolving graduation pathways, and the nonstop flow of student needs make the work more complex each year.

In our recent webinar, So, You’re Worried About Missing a Student’s Accommodations? Here’s How I Prevented It, Education Advanced’s Lara Miller and Max Gregory spoke with district leaders Erin Groeneveld, Kimberly Sass, and Sharonda Whorton about reducing errors, strengthening communication, and building systems that ensure every student receives the right accommodations.

When the day came to coordinate my very first state test, I thought I had it all figured out. After all, I had worked in district assessment before, how different could it be? The night before, I woke up at 2 a.m. running through the checklist in my head. Did I assign the right rooms? Did students have the right accommodations? Were teachers clear on their responsibilities?

The future of statewide testing isn’t just about smoother logistics. It’s about empathy as much as efficiency. When schools use data and digital tools to remove friction for educators, they create space for students to show what they truly know.

The key is to manage IEP accommodations for testing as a strategic part of school operations rather than a last-minute obligation. Schools that plan ahead, coordinate effectively, and leverage technology can transform testing from a logistical burden into a manageable process. When systems are in place, students receive the support they need, and educators can focus on instruction and learning outcomes.

I was lucky to have mentors who taught me what equity meant before it became a widespread focus in education. It’s not about giving every kid the same thing, it’s about meeting them where they are.

Being a great teacher is more than delivering prepared, well-organized content. It is about transforming information into understanding, even in a world where AI tools make facts instantly accessible. Thoughtful teacher evaluations shine a light on what is working, reveal where students are tuning out, and give educators the feedback they need to adjust in the moment.

As districts head into a new testing season, the work starts long before test day: aligning terminology, standardizing accommodations, training new coordinators, and keeping data in sync across systems.

As fall begins, CTE directors face a flood of responsibilities, including ensuring students are enrolled in the right courses, protecting funding, and preparing for new graduation requirements.

Every school leader wants professional development (PD) that leads to real growth, but guessing what teachers need rarely produces lasting results.

Two recent Supreme Court rulings have reshaped how schools must approach accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In my 20-plus years working in technology, first as a developer, then in product management, there have been only a handful of moments that made me stop and think, “This changes everything.” To me, AI feels like one of those moments.

In my 25 years working in IT—including more than a decade in K–12—I’ve seen technology shifts come and go. Some were exciting, some were disruptive, and some were both. But AI feels different.

I’m a first-generation college student. Education changed the trajectory of my life and my family’s life, and I’ve seen it do the same for countless others. Public education is, to me, the great equalizer. It gives every child—regardless of background—a fair chance to succeed.

In today’s evolving education landscape, schools are shifting from compliance-focused evaluation models to systems that promote continuous teacher growth.

Right now, AI feels like the wild west. There’s a rush to adopt it, but there’s also fear about getting it wrong. It’s new, it’s fast-moving, and it’s far from perfect.

School counseling supports student success through academic guidance, emotional support, and college and career readiness programs.

High stakes testing influences student achievement, teacher practices, and educational equity across the U.S. education system.

Finding teacher work life balance isn’t easy. These strategies help reduce burnout, set boundaries, and support well-being both in and out of the classroom.

Signed into law in 2021 during Texas' 87th Legislative Session, SB179 addresses a long-standing concern: counselors need to spend the majority of their time doing the job they were trained for—serving students.

When I first got involved with what would eventually become TestHound, it was really just an idea. There wasn’t a company yet—just a need and a vision. My husband, Jason, who is also our Vice President of Software Engineering, was asked to help build something new to support school testing. He got to work developing the tool, and somewhere along the way, I was asked, “Can you make a logo?”

After spending the first chapter of my career in public education—serving as a teacher, instructional support, and district leader—I stepped into the world of EdTech, where I spent nearly two decades helping school leaders improve student outcomes at scale. Then, in a full-circle moment, I returned to the classroom.

I never imagined I’d end up in education. My background? Corporate IT—server rooms, email outages, crawling under desks to plug in printers. My IT career before Education Advanced was all about fixing whatever was blinking or broken: from small office routers to sprawling network infrastructures for retail stores. I was good at it, but something always felt... incomplete.

Spring testing season may be behind us, but for testing and data teams, the work is far from over. Once the scores roll in, the focus shifts from logistics to insight — and ultimately, to action. But what does it really take to move from testing to targeted support?

Accommodations are adjustments in teaching methods, classroom environment, or assessment strategies that support students with disabilities in accessing grade-level content.

A Texas school counselor is a certified professional who provides academic, career, and personal guidance to high school students. The role of a school counselor goes beyond scheduling classes or handing out college brochures.

In addition to disrupting student learning, high turnover strains school budgets and intensifies disparities across districts. School leaders, especially those in schools facing staffing challenges, need to understand the causes of teacher turnover and what can be done to slow the trend.

When it’s working well, nobody notices—and honestly, that’s how it should be. Data integration is meant to be invisible, quietly connecting the dots so that everything just works. But even behind the scenes, it plays a vital role in helping districts run more smoothly.

A personal graduation plan (PGP) is an academic roadmap that guides high school students as they connect classroom choices to long-term education and career goals. It encourages well-thought-out decisions from the start of ninth grade through graduation. This way, students can easily see and understand how each course fits into a larger picture, which helps to support meaningful preparation for life after graduation.

Every teacher, no matter how experienced, has room to grow—and the best educators are the ones who never stop trying to get better. The responsibilities of modern teaching extend far beyond content delivery.

As Florida’s testing system continues to evolve, schools and districts face a pressing challenge: keeping up without losing valuable instructional time. The move from single, end-of-year exams to more frequent, flexible progress monitoring has reshaped the structure and purpose of Florida standardized tests. On top of that, ongoing legislative discussions may bring even more changes in the future.

After nearly three decades in education—from teaching high school psychology to leading district-wide testing coordination—I’ve learned that one question underpins every successful instructional decision: What’s the purpose?

Let me put it plain and simple—trying to manage testing accommodations without a solid system in place is a recipe for disaster. You’ve got diagnosticians, 504 and LPAC coordinators, campus testing coordinators, Special Education directors… all doing their part, but often not speaking the same language. And when that happens? Things get messy fast.

Across the country, school counselors are grappling with increasing complexity in academic planning—from evolving graduation requirements to aligning career readiness pathways with student interests. In this Conversations with Educators webinar, we explored how schools are rethinking the 4-year plan not just as a scheduling tool, but as a cornerstone of personalized learning and long-term student success.

As the end of the school year approaches, staff evaluations can feel like a heavy lift for school leaders. Between walkthroughs, evidence collection, and reporting, it’s easy for the process to become overwhelming. In this Conversations with Educators session, we spoke with Brian Johnson, Director of Learning Design and Development at The Danielson Group, to explore practical, time-saving strategies—and how reflective practice can shift the focus from compliance to growth.

If you’ve ever been a campus testing coordinator, you know what I mean when I say: it’s not a job—it’s an event. And you? You’re the planner. You’re in charge of the venue, the schedule, the guests, the security, the weather, the backup plan, and making sure no one walks in with a weed-eater during the reading section.

Seventeen years in public education will teach you a lot—and being a high school testing coordinator taught me this: when you’re in the thick of testing season, you don’t have time for clunky systems or unreturned phone calls. You need tools that work and people you can count on.

For over a decade, STEM education has been a focal point in K-12 schools across the country. Yet, for many, it remains confined to specific courses—robotics, engineering, coding, or advanced science classes. But what if we told you that STEM isn’t just a class you take, but a way of thinking?

High school educators face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Supporting adolescents through academic pressures, social complexities, and personal growth requires a nuanced approach. We know that student success is multifaceted, encompassing both academic achievement and emotional well-being. From navigating rigorous coursework to fostering motivation, teachers play an indispensable role in shaping the trajectory of their students' lives. In this post, we'll explore seven actionable strategies designed to empower high school educators and help their students thrive.

My wife and I both come from a family of educators. As such we benefited from the mentorship of not just our family but also from some great mentor teachers and administrators. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t stumble on these people, I was set up for success in the classroom through connections and relationships. When I transitioned from the classroom into an administrative role, I had so many conversations with disillusioned teachers on the verge of burnout, that it made my pathway feel all the more blessed. I knew that supporting teachers would need to be my top priority and that it should be for every school leader.

TNReady is Tennessee’s statewide assessment designed to measure students’ genuine understanding of fundamental subjects rather than mere memorization and test-taking skills. The test provides teachers, parents, and policymakers with critical insights into student progress and how well they are meeting state academic standards.

504 accommodations are adjustments made to a school’s learning environment, testing methods, or curriculum so students with disabilities can participate fully in school activities in the same way as those without disabilities. These adjustments are designed to prevent discrimination against students with disabilities and are backed by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 1976.

In our recent webinar, Is Your Evaluation System Failing? 3 Critical Mistakes K-12 Leaders Make (and How to Fix Them), we sat down with Nathan Tuttle, Principal at Matchbook Learning in Indianapolis, to discuss how to improve evaluation systems and avoid common pitfalls.

Teacher burnout happens when job-related stress becomes so overwhelming that teachers struggle to perform their duties effectively. This condition can lead to several problems, such as teachers being less productive and effective in class, losing enthusiasm for teaching, and having more absences or leaving their positions altogether.

Teacher turnover is a pressing issue in education, with significant financial and instructional costs. The Learning Policy Institute reports that beginning teachers with little preparation are 2.5 times more likely to leave the classroom after just one year. Furthermore, new teachers without mentoring or support leave at more than twice the rate of their supported peers.

Graduation tracking includes monitoring students’ academic progress to make sure they meet all the requirements to graduate on time. This process involves regularly checking their coursework, grades, and progress towards state requirements. It also looks at other important indicators to identify any potential issues early on. This allows schools to give students the support they need to succeed.

I’ve walked the hallways as a high school teacher, fine arts director, and guidance counselor. Now, in my current role at Education Advanced, I’m working with educators in a different way, but with the same mission at heart: helping students succeed.

I didn’t start my career expecting to work in school assessment; however, my background in psychology and counseling led me to a job as a school counselor, where I quickly realized just how much accountability and testing impact both students and educators.

Testing season can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone. In our latest "Conversations with Educators" webinar, we gathered experienced testing leaders from multiple districts across the nation to share their insights and strategies for handling the complexities of student assessment.

Indiana’s new diploma requirements have arrived, bringing a mix of challenges and opportunities for educators, students, and families. In a recent webinar hosted by Education Advanced, Inc., we sat down with a panel of experts to discuss the key changes, practical strategies, and tools to help schools successfully implement the new graduation pathways.

State funding for education is an important financial resource that determines how well schools can provide quality education to students. This funding comes from state governments and is key to deciding what resources, programs, and opportunities high schools across the United States can offer.

The student to teacher ratio refers to the total number of students in a school compared to the number of teachers. It is typically expressed as a ratio, such as 20:1, meaning there are 20 students for every teacher. Ideally, schools should strive for a lower ratio, to create smaller class sizes and promote student-teacher relationships that allow for individualized instruction that can bolster student achievement.

Teacher recruitment means finding, selecting, and hiring qualified teachers to fill roles in schools. It’s a vital process that directly affects the quality of education students receive. With teacher shortages and growing demands in education, having the right recruitment strategies is more important than ever.

Testing season can be one of the most stressful times for school districts, and especially test coordinators, but with the right strategies, coordination, and tools, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

This year’s Counselor Appreciation Week, running from February 3 to 7, 2025, underscores the important role school counselors play in guiding students to academic success and assisting them with career planning.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced and updated the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015, helps schools set high standards and offer the right support to students and teachers alike.

High schools can prepare students for fulfilling careers by offering programs like career exploration activities, internships, and skills-building workshops. These opportunities teach students useful skills and help them discover what they enjoy, setting them up for success after graduation.

Besides taking away valuable experience, student learning and achievement can be disrupted when teachers leave. Keeping good teachers helps create a steady learning space where students can grow, and school communities can flourish.

504 plan examples show the various ways schools can make adjustments to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Rooted in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 504 plans ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to education as their peers in a regular classroom.

Retaining teachers is a major challenge for many schools, especially high schools. Besides ensuring the quality of education is top-notch, keeping skilled teachers is important for maintaining a stable learning space where students can thrive. 

Career planning tools for high school students are valuable resources that help young individuals prepare for their future careers. These tools give students a better understanding of their interests, strengths, and possible career paths, helping them make informed choices about their education and work goals.

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, counselors play a more vital role than ever in empowering students to navigate their postsecondary journeys. To shed light on this critical topic, we recently hosted a webinar featuring Libby Ritchie, a seasoned Academic Counselor from Liberty-Perry School District in Indiana.

The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) is an important part of Tennessee’s education system. TCAP tracks student progress and ensures that schools are meeting performance expectations. This article gives a closer look at TCAP, including how it’s set up, what tests are required, the grade levels involved, and key testing dates to keep in mind.