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Education Dive
5 K-12 trends to watch in 2020
New approaches to assessment, concerns over security and privacy, and
reimagining what defines classrooms and instruction are among factors
that will drive education in the coming year.
Linda Jacobson, Roger Riddell & Naaz Modan
Jan. 6, 2020
The past year saw continued investment by states and districts in the
additional decision-making freedom allowed under the Every Student
Succeeds Act, particularly when it comes to requirements on providing a
"well-rounded" education, as well as ongoing concern over efforts to
harden school security. In many districts nationwide, stagnant pay and
benefits, alongside a range of school and classroom conditions, saw an
even greater number of educators hit the picket lines.
These efforts and others stand to play a key role in driving the
education conversation in the new year. From new approaches to
assessment to rethinking what defines classrooms, instruction and
professional learning, here are five trends to watch in 2020.
Continued innovations and shifts in assessment
The Every Student Succeeds Act gave states and districts permission to
try new assessment models in response to concerns students were being
over-tested and that schools and policymakers had come to place too
much emphasis on test scores to measure students’ and schools’ success.
While only four states are participating in ESSA’s innovative
assessment initiative so far, efforts to exercise that freedom in other
ways are likely to grow. The state of Washington, for example, has now
approved seven pathways toward earning a high school diploma — not all
of which include passing a test. Other states, including Georgia and
Nebraska, are de-emphasizing end-of-year tests by measuring students’
proficiency levels on interim tests throughout the year. And several
states and districts are dropping tests deemed redundant.
With some experts predicting the beginning of a “whole-child era,”
attention will also continue to shift toward understanding reliable
ways to assess non-academic areas, such as social-emotional learning
and the arts.
Clashes between safety efforts and student privacy
Parents and students may not fully understand the level of monitoring,
surveillance and data collection that occurs in schools in an effort to
identify those who may have the potential to harm others or themselves.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the number of school
districts purchasing social media monitoring software is increasing.
And in the U.S. Senate last fall, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced
a bill that includes a requirement for schools to operate “a technology
protection measure that detects online activities of minors who are at
risk of committing self-harm or extreme violence against others.” The
requirement would be an amendment to the Children’s Internet Protection
Act, which requires schools taking advantage of E-Rate discounts to
have an internet safety policy and to block obscene, pornographic or
other harmful online content.
Privacy experts warn, however, the proposed legislation would require
districts to spend time and money on unproven violence prevention
strategies.
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