Watermark and SCALE Partner to Bring Embedded Signature Assessments to Educator Prep Programs

NEW YORK, June 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Watermark, a pioneer in educational intelligence, announced today its new partnership with the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE). SCALE is committed to supporting colleges, universities, and states in developing equitable performance-based assessment processes and conducting research to support the reliability and validity of innovative teacher assessment systems.

With the shared goal to empower better learning, Watermark will serve as the exclusive distributor of SCALE's Embedded Signature Assessments (ESAs), which are customized, formative assessment tools designed to be embedded within existing curriculum to measure selected program level, state and national standards for teaching. When used in conjunction with Watermark's outcomes assessment solutions, programs will have even more robust evidence to evaluate candidate effectiveness, inform program improvement, and provide data for program accreditation.

"We greatly value the Center's work to advance models for teacher performance assessment and to design these curriculum-embedded assessments to better measure teaching effectiveness. With strong roots in educator preparation programs, Watermark is committed to developing solutions EPPs need to meet the challenges of assessing teacher candidates, data collection, and accreditation reporting. We look forward to partnering with SCALE to help ease these processes so that programs can focus more on using their data to make meaningful improvements to candidate performance," said Kevin Michielsen, CEO of Watermark.

Dr. Raymond Pecheone, Executive Director and founder for the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, commented, "The growing movement to require teachers to pass performance-based assessments to demonstrate that they can teach what they know – to all of their students – was a seismic shift for the field. We've made it our work to support these teachers and programs around the country in being able to measure effective teaching and learning in the classroom."

"One of the core principles guiding our assessment work is that a performance assessment system should be designed to be educative for students, teachers, and institutions. The assessment development and implementation cycle incorporates evaluation and reflection as a key component of the system with the goal of improving teaching and learning. We're excited and privileged to partner with a transformative organization like Watermark that understands teaching and learning, and recognizes the key role educators play in preparing the next generation of teachers and students to both meet the challenges of the 21^st century and to ensure equitable outcomes for all students," noted Pecheone.

Two initial ESAs will be available for Watermark clients to pilot, "Providing Effective Feedback" and "Using Effective Questioning Strategies." Both assessments and related tasks have been designed specifically to improve teacher candidate performance for skills needed to be successful in the profession. They are pre-aligned to InTASC standards and can also be aligned to local program learning outcomes available in Watermark.

To learn how Watermark and SCALE can support your program, visit www.watermarkinsights.com.

About SCALE
The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) seeks to transform P-16 teaching and learning so that all students – particularly the underserved – have equitable access to powerful, deeper learning and are truly prepared for success in college, careers, and civic life. SCALE created the edTPA, the first nationally available capstone performance assessment used for teacher licensure and to support state and national program accreditation. Operational use of the edTPA began in fall 2013 and has since grown to over 800 programs across 41 states and the District of Columbia. SCALE is the premier center nationally to integrate the development of high-quality systems of assessment across all policy sectors (K-12, Higher Education and State-level Assessment).

About Watermark
Watermark's mission is to put better data into the hands of administrators, faculty, and students everywhere in order to empower them to connect information and gain insights into learning which will drive meaningful improvements. Through its innovative educational intelligence platform, Watermark supports institutions in developing an intentional approach to learning and development based on data they can trust. For more information, visit www.watermarkinsights.com.

Contact:
Victoria Guzzo
Director of Corporate Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE Watermark

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