New Hampshire's new student assessment tool - known as PACE - is continuing to expand.
The New Hampshire Department of Education announced Tuesday that it has received a five-year waiver from federal officials so schools piloting the assessment tool can continue to use it.
The Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) focuses on periodic assessments of student learning, rather than end-of-year, statewide tests.
Heather Gage is the director of Learner Support at the state DOE. She says the waiver is a big win for New Hampshire:
“This authority allows us to really focus on making sure that students have access to a variety of different instructional opportunities as well as assessment opportunities,” she says.
PACE is still in its early stages, but Gage says participating schools are reporting good results.
“Doing this with a small group of school districts allows us to really test this theory of performance assessments, which we absolutely support and we are always trying to build capacity to help school districts in that area.”
The DOE hopes to expand PACE as an assessment tool in the coming years.
