Here's one of the most important recent developments you've never heard of: it's a better chance for kids to show how well they can do.

We've reported here about the California High School Exit Exam, and about the California Alternate Performance Test. Both serve a function: the first for kids in General Education, and the second for those with documented serious challenges that require may lower expectations.

Parents, teachers, and educators have all been aware that there has been no real way to assess those kids with a high ability to achieve goals if offered appropriate supports.

A workgroup was put together to accomplish that. It faced a daunting challenge: the result needed to count for federal accountability measures. In other words, until now these students have not been included in the big picture.

What has resulted is an assessment that hues to grade-level standards but makes modifications to produce tests that are user-friendly:

• The total number of test questions has been reduced.
• The language of the test questions has been simplified.
• Fewer multiple choice options are offered.
• Pictures are used to aid understanding.
• More white space is provided on the test.

In other words, the kid who is already nervous won't be overwhelmed.

San Francisco offered to pilot this modification (in other words, since it was a pilot, the scores did not yet count). Teachers were asked to respond wherever the assessment was tried. "The teachers saw the purpose and benefits for both students and accountability," said Robert Maass, the District's Supervisor of Achievement and Assessment. "They believed that, for the group of students who are eligible to participate, the California Modified Assessment was fair and allowed them to show what they could do." It will also help the schools' accountability scores to have more complete student-participation. In the past, although San Francisco has steadily improved in meeting English and Math targets, it has not met federal Adequate Yearly Progress targets on full participation rates.

Our school district may be beginning to emerge from the struggles of its recent history. This goes a long way toward flexible assessment and inclusion.