From its inception, NMSSA has intended to provide information about the progress students are making in developing the key competencies. Designing an approach for assessment of key competencies, however, is challenging. The Introduction explains the challenges that can be predicted from research. It then outlines our solution for addressing these challenges in the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA).
The Introduction accompanies the series of reports written by the NMSSA project team to provide information about the progress students are making in developing the key competencies. The reports provide a retrospective analysis of students’ opportunities to demonstrate aspects of their key competencies in action drawing on data collected during the first five-year cycle of NMSSA. |