Kamenetz (reporting for NPR) talks about her book , Test , which is about the extensive use of standardized testing in our schools. Largely, this is a story about the impact these tests have had on how teachers instruct K-12 education in the US. However, a portion of the story discusses alternatives to annual testing of every student. Alternatives include using sampling to assess a school as well as numerous alternate testing methods (stealth testing, assessing child emotional well-being, portfolios, etc.). Additionally, this story touches on some of the implications of living in a Big Data society and what it is doing to our schools. I think this would be a great conversation starter for a research methods or psychometric course (especially if you are teaching such a class for a School of Education). What are we trying to assess: Individual students or teachers or schools? What are the benefits and short comings of these different kinds of assessments? Can you students come up with...

LA Johnson for NPR Cory Turner , reporting for NPR, found that differences in survey word choice affected research participant support of the Common Core in education. The story follows two polling organizations and the exact phrasing they used when they asked participants whether or not they support the Common Core. Support for the Core varied by *20%* based upon the phrasing (highlighted below): Education Next  Question : "As you may know, in the last few years states have been deciding whether or not to use the Common Core, which are standards for reading and math that are the same across the states. In the states that have these standards, they will be used to hold public schools accountable for their performance. Do you support or oppose the use of the Common Core standards in your state?" (53% support) PDK/Gallup Question: "Do you favor or oppose having the teachers in your community use the Common Core State Standards to guide what they teach?"  (...