As we kick-off a new year and new decade, I want to take a moment and thank our amazing clients and share a bit of our excitement about 2020.
We have the opportunity to partner with organizations that share a common desire, to make assessments better for students. That may be a simple way of characterizing our clients but I think they would all agree. We are fortunate to play a part in helping each of our clients achieve that goal and are excited to continue to be part of that mission in 2020.
During the past year we have accomplished a lot of firsts:
- Delivered the first operational state innovative assessment
- Completed a state-wide collaborative scoring pilot for art teachers
- Rolled out a grade 3-10 writing assessment that was collaboratively scored at the class and district level
When we started MZD we set out to solve an old problem by taking a new approach which has led us to making performance scoring more efficient, reliable and cost effective. Throughout 2019, we have had numerous conversations with educational institutions, and there is still a lot of work to do to help these institutions realize the benefits of performance assessment.
It is often easy to get caught up in the “hype” of new technology that is going to revolutionize education but at MZD we are continuing to develop innovative solutions that address existing, persistent problems. Our mission remains the same for the new year, focusing on delivering practical solutions and providing the best service possible!
Here’s to giving students a chance to create authentic, real work while demonstrating (and being measured on) their higher order thinking skills.
Happy 2020!
Zac
