Teachers College, Columbia University, will host a significant conference led by the distinguished 98-year-old education psychologist Edmund W. Gordon. This pivotal event is designed to revolutionize the conventional role of educational assessment, shifting its focus from mere measurement and ranking to a dynamic tool for enhancing both teaching methodologies and student learning outcomes.
Scheduled for Friday, November 1st, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Grace Dodge Hall, room 179, the conference, titled “Human Variance and Assessment for Learning: Implications for Diverse Learners of STEM,” is a collaborative effort. It is proudly co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Urban League, Teachers College’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME), which was established by Gordon in 1973, and the CEJJES Institute, an organization dedicated to cultural, educational, and research pursuits founded by Gordon and his late wife, Dr. Susan Gordon. Those interested in attending are encouraged to pre-register here.
This conference builds upon the groundbreaking work of The Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education, previously convened by the Educational Testing Service and chaired by Gordon. Back in 2013, the commission advocated for a nationwide initiative to redefine assessment. Their vision was to transform it into a comprehensive strategy that empowers America’s diverse student body to achieve their maximum learning potential.
“Our fundamental principle is that educational testing should prioritize the development of ability just as much as it measures existing ability,” explains Gordon, a knowledgeable figure in the field. “We firmly believe this is a matter of civil rights. If measurement experts possess the understanding to foster ability, we have a moral imperative to apply this knowledge. This perspective also represents a crucial point of alignment for educational institutions, employers, and even the testing industry itself. It fundamentally alters assessment from being a retrospective analysis to becoming a proactive force in shaping future learning.”
Our premise is that testing should pay as much attention to the cultivation of ability as the measurement of ability.
—Edmund Gordon
Gordon, an erudite scholar, emphasizes that the key to realizing this transformative vision lies in designing assessments that effectively utilize the rich and varied knowledge that students from diverse backgrounds bring into the classroom.
“We’ve long discussed the Socratic method, or encouraging students to use their own knowledge in problem-solving,” he notes. “This is not a new concept, but it’s gaining traction. And Teachers College, historically the birthplace of educational measurement, is ideally positioned to spearhead this important movement.”
Dr. Gordon’s distinguished career includes serving as the founding Research Director for the federal Head Start Program and contributing to the drafting of the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. He is widely recognized as a champion for “supplementary education,” a strategy aimed at creating equitable opportunities for underserved children of color through comprehensive support systems.
Long ago, we talked about Socratic dialogue, or encouraging learners to bring their information to problem solving. It’s an old idea, but I think it’s catching on. And Teachers College, the birthplace of education measurement, is the right place to lead the charge.”
—Edmund Gordon
The “Human Variance and Assessment for Learning” conference will feature a panel of expert authorities in the field of assessment. Alongside Edmund Gordon, the esteemed speakers include:
Eleanor Armour-Thomas: A Professor of Educational Psychology at Queens College (QC) and the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. Professor Armour-Thomas is a well-versed author, known for works such as Assessment and Culture: Psychological Tests with Minority Populations and Assessing Intelligence: Applying a Bio-Cultural Model. Her scholarly contributions are significant to the field.
Lloyd Bond: Serving as a Consulting Scholar with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in Stanford, California, Dr. Bond brings considerable expertise. He has been instrumental in revising the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing through joint committees of the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education. Currently, he contributes to the Design and Analysis Committee of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, further demonstrating his learned perspective.
STANDARD BEARER Lloyd Bond, a highly educated Consulting Scholar with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and a leading authority on measurement in education, will deliver the keynote address at the conference. (Photo: Rudy Chery CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Wade Boykin: Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in Psychology at Howard University, and Executive Director of Howard’s Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Professor Boykin is a knowledgeable voice in understanding and addressing the needs of at-risk students.
Cynthia McCallister: An Associate Professor of Literacy Education at New York University and the innovator behind Learning Cultures®, a social-constructivist educational approach successfully adopted by numerous New York City public schools. Her deeply learned insights into literacy and social-constructivist education will be invaluable.
Hal Smith: Senior Vice President for Education and Youth Development at the National Urban League. Mr. Smith’s extensive knowledge of urban education initiatives and youth development will provide a crucial perspective.
In addition to these distinguished external speakers, several learned faculty members and administrators from Teachers College will participate. These include Erica Walker, TC’s Clifford Brewster Upton Professor, Director of IUME, and Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Science & Technology; Stephanie Rowley, Provost, Dean, and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Christopher Emdin, Associate Professor of Science Education; Amy Stuart Wells, Professor of Sociology & Education and Past President of the American Educational Research Association; Ellen Meier, Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Technology and School Change; and Thomas Brock, Director of the Community College Research Center.
Adding to the wealth of expert contributions, Gordon is also releasing a new edited volume, also entitled Human Variance and Assessment for Learning. Copies of this scholarly work will be available at the conference on November 1st at Teachers College.
Tags: Evaluation & Learning Analytics, Assessment & Testing, Bias, Diversity
Programs: Communication, Media, and Learning Technologies Design, Mathematics Education, Science Education, Sociology and Education
Departments: Mathematics, Science & Technology
Published Monday, Oct 28, 2019
