Keeping Up the PACE: Evaluating Grade 8 Student Achievement Outcomes for New Hampshire’s Innovative Assessment System

ABSTRACT New Hampshire’s Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) innovative assessment system uses student scores from classroom performance assessments as well as other classroom tests for school accountability purposes. One concern is that not having annual state testing may incentivize schools and teachers away from teaching the breadth of the state content standards. This study examined the effects of PACE on Grade 8 test scores after 5 years of implementation using propensity score matching followed by hierarchical linear modeling. The results suggest that PACE students perform about the same, on average, in mathematics and ELA as non-PACE students on the state assessment. There was no evidence of differential effects for students who had an individualized education program or were granted FRL. Findings for this limited sample suggest schools and teachers did not sacrifice the breadth of students’ opportunity to learn the state content standards while piloting a state performance assessment reform.