Broadening the educational evaluation lens with communicative evaluation

Outcomes-based accountability in the form of test scores and performance indicators are a primary lever for improving student achievement in the current educational landscape. The article presents communicative evaluation as a complementary evaluation approach that may be used along with the primary methods of school accountability to provide a more comprehensive picture of the school environment. Through document reviews of state school report cards and the communicative evaluation of an educational program, the article discusses the study on challenges to academic achievement and possible solutions proffered by the students struggling to meet state graduation standards. The article identifies several issues emerging from the case connected to moving communicative evaluation from theory to practice. A brief discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of communicative evaluation and how it might best be utilized in evaluation practice is included.