The requirements and methodologies surrounding educational assessment and accountability change often and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment advises states, districts, and schools on a path forward through these challenges. The upheaval caused by COVID-19 was no exception, and we helped the Center capitalize on its strong content strategy to respond quickly. Whether monitoring recovery from the pandemic or taking on new testing challenges, the Center is able to rely on strategic content to reach the right audiences.
Center for Assessment professionals are some of the nation’s foremost experts on educational assessment and accountability policy and practice. Throughout the Center’s partnership with Fishnet, which began in 2017, we have helped shape an ongoing thought leadership content strategy that harnesses their deep industry knowledge. When federal testing requirements change, or major events like the COVID-19 pandemic affect test administration practices, the Center can make a quick shift in its content strategy to help education leaders make sense of new and significant challenges.
During our partnership with the Center, we had established a solid foundation for thought leadership content inclusive of weekly blog posts, monthly email newsletters, daily social media engagement, and web support. We have also developed content for their annual conferences, such as podcasts and videos.
With strong brand equity and an established thought leadership content strategy, the Center is able to quickly pivot and focus its content strategy on pressing issues, serving as an invaluable resource to education professionals looking for guidance.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures, we immediately adjusted the Center’s content strategy, standing up a new resources page dedicated to COVID-19-specific content and offering a one-stop-shop for timely, comprehensive information and guidance. We also created a series of social posts directing their audience to the resources page and highlighting new content.
As a result, the Center was given the NCME Annual Award, recognizing their ongoing efforts in providing guidance and support to states, districts, and schools during such an unprecedented time.
Since May 2019, engagement with the Center’s content has tripled from 5,000 monthly users to more than 15,000.
Since May 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, engagement with the Center’s content has increased 40%.
Overall traffic to the Center’s website has increased by 12,000 since May 2019 from 5,000 to 17,000.
Dedicated pandemic-related resources helped increase traffic to the Center’s website by 30% following school closures in March 2020.
Even after schools reopened, the Center understood that major educational issues, such as student equity and learning setbacks, would continue to impact educational assessment and accountability. The questions of when to test, how to measure results, and what improvements to assessment should be made to most accurately track student and school performance, have all been front-and-center issues in the Center’s content strategy.
The Center team facilitated the first virtual convening of its annual Reidy Interactive Lecture Series, focused on implications of the pandemic and guidance for the road ahead. Fishnet used Zoom footage to create a video highlighting the key points in the assessment and accountability discussions and the value behind the event.
The demand and popularity for the Center’s resources led to a re-platforming of the website in which we designed a highly-intuitive, organized, and optimized resource library to complement refreshed brand messaging and a fresh look and feel. Audiences can truly rely on the Center as a go-to resource for educational assessment and accountability support, guidance, and practical advice.
Jennifer Keefe
Fishnet Content Strategist
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