• Whiteboard Notes
  • Posts
  • College Admissions Oversight Expands | What’s Next for NAEP | Top 10 Reads | CogAT to Publish Post-Pandemic Norms

College Admissions Oversight Expands | What’s Next for NAEP | Top 10 Reads | CogAT to Publish Post-Pandemic Norms

Author

Ben Wallerstein
August 08, 2025

It’s been just over a year since we announced the acquisition of Matt Tower’s newsletter and launched what is now known as The EdSheet. If you’re not a regular reader, you can subscribe here. 

One of the most popular features of The EdSheet are Matt’s regular interviews with education executives and investors on the latest news and trends in the industry. 

I’m especially fond of this conversation with Tammy Wincup, who is one of the most thoughtful Edtech CEOs, and brightest minds when it comes to the future of student safety, wellness, and AI in K-12.

I believe really firmly that you can have safety and student privacy together and we must prioritize both in our use of technology. I have spent 20+ years putting technology into schools and into kids' hands and being an advocate for digital learning, so I feel a huge amount of responsibility now to be sure that we are doing that safely, with efficacy, and thinking about what the right ways to keep it there are.

– Tammy Wincup, CEO of Securly

In recent weeks, he’s also chatted with CEOs like Clever’s Trish Sparks and BetterLesson’s Matt Kennard, talked M&A with Owl Ventures’ Lyman Missimer, Education Search Funds with Theodore Sutherland, and the future of US K12 funding with Reach Capital’s Steve Kupfer. 

Have an educational leader we should be profiling? Let us know!

In this week’s edition, we round up the “Top 10 Articles of the Week” and take a closer look at:

  • Trump Administration Orders Colleges to Submit Detailed Race-Related Admissions Data

  • What You Need to Know About the Latest NAEP Updates

  • Riverside Insights to Publish Post-Pandemic CoGAT Norms. Can They Help to Level the Playing Field in Gifted and Talented Identification?

Top 10 Articles of the Week from W/A’s What We’re Reading Newsletter

  1. Linda McMahon pulls back the curtain on Trump's plan to dismantle the Department of Education [Fox News]

  2. Senate Appropriators Reject Trump's Deep Education Cuts [Inside Higher Ed]

  3. K-12 Public School Enrollment Declines, Explained [FutureEd]

  4. Why the White House Backed Down From Its First Big Education Cuts [The Atlantic]

  5. Education Department eyes special education in school choice expansion [K-12 Dive]

  6. By the numbers: An AI development disconnect [HR Dive]

  7. Today is the last day for many Education Department workers. Here's what they did [NPR]

  8. 7 insights about chronic absenteeism, a new normal for American schools [The Hechinger Report]

  9. How schools could be hit by Medicaid cuts [The Washington Post]

  10. Trump to sign executive order requiring transparency in college admission practices [The Hill]

What We’re Reading: PK-12 and Higher EducationReceive a roundup of the latest early childhood, K-12, and higher education news. Published four times a week, this newsletter provides a curated selection of reports, research, and top stories fro...

Trump Administration Orders Colleges to Submit Detailed Race-Related Admissions Data

President Trump on Thursday directed the U.S. Department of Education to require colleges and universities to submit granular admissions data disaggregated by race and sex—including applicants’ test scores and GPAs—to check whether schools are skirting the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that largely barred the consideration of race in admissions. Education Secretary Linda McMahon immediately directed NCES to include this data as part of their regular reporting process and conduct accuracy checks on what schools report. [Associated Press; Politico]

Why it matters: The order marks a significant expansion of federal oversight of college admissions. Supporters see it as a way to increase transparency and enforce the high court’s ruling. Critics caution it could discourage race-neutral efforts to build diverse student bodies and raise student privacy concerns. [Inside Higher Education; The New York Times] 

By the numbers:

  • The data will cover applicants, admitted students and enrollees, broken down by race and sex.

  • Additional reporting will include standardized test scores, GPAs, and other academic qualifications.

  • Current federal reporting generally includes only racial demographics of enrolled students.

Catch up quick: The administration has tied similar data demands to restoring research funds at elite universities and is separately pushing DOJ guidance that deems many race-targeted scholarships and programs unlawful. 

What to watch:

  • NCES will develop the new reporting requirements for the 2025–26 admissions cycle, which come after the center had massive layoffs earlier this year.

  • Potential legal challenges could focus on student privacy and the extent of executive authority to mandate such reporting.

The bottom line: The new reporting rules will create a more detailed federal record of admissions data, setting the stage for future debates over how colleges pursue diversity within the bounds of the law.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how students learn, create, and collaborate on campus and at home. But beyond the headlines, what does AI use really look like on today’s campuses?

Join Asim Ali Ph.D, Executive Director of the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Auburn University, California State University Monterey Bay CIO Tara Hughes, Adobe Senior Product Marketing Manager Dhruva Chandrasekhar, and Senior Writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education Rick Seltzer for a dynamic conversation on how universities are moving from hype to hands-on innovation.

Our panel will explore specific and creative ways institutions are encouraging students to use AI responsibly and effectively—whether through course design, new creative tools, partnerships with tech companies, or campus-wide initiatives.

The goal of this webinar is for attendees to walk away with fresh examples, practical takeaways, and a better understanding of how forward-thinking colleges are turning AI from theory into action.

Q&A with Lesley Muldoon: What You Need to Know About the Latest NAEP Updates

With the National Assessment Governing Board’s latest announcement, there’s a lot happening in the world of NAEP—the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation’s Report Card. We sat down with Lesley Muldoon, Executive Director of the Governing Board, to unpack what these updates mean for the field.

Let’s start with the big news. When can we expect the next NAEP results?

Lesley Muldoon: The next results will be released bright and early on September 9, 2025 at 12:01 AM ET. This release will include 8th grade science and 12th grade math and reading—the first time we’ve had national-level results in these subjects and grades since 2019. As always, everything will be available at www.nationsreportcard.gov.

Why are these results important and why now?

LM: These assessments offer the only nationally representative measure of student achievement over time, and 8th grade science and 12th grade math and reading are especially important for understanding trends in STEM readiness and high school outcomes. After years of pandemic-related disruption, we’re eager to provide new data points to help inform policy and practice.

With so many changes this year, how can we be certain that results will be released on time?

LM: We are confident that we will meet the timeline for the NAEP release. The Board has reviewed the results and the report cards themselves, which follow the content and organization of prior report card releases. 

Can Better Norms Level the Playing Field in Gifted and Talented Identification?

Next week, Riverside Insights, developer of many of the most widely used K-12 assessments, including CogAT, Woodcock-Johnson V (WJ V), Iowa Assessments™, ESGI, and DESSA, will release new 2024 CogAT Post-Pandemic Norms.  

First published in 1968, CogAT is one of the most widely used norm-referenced “ability” assessments used to, among other things, identify children for participation in gifted and talented programs. 

The test’s longevity and massive sample size (now more than 2.8 million test administrations) has made it the go-to choice as a growing number of states and districts adopt universal screening policies for gifted and talented programs.

Studies show that the use of CogAT as a universal screener can significantly increase the identification of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. 

National norms are expected in ability assessments—but the quality of those norms is critical. Without rigorous, representative norms, districts risk inaccurate comparisons that can lead to biases in Gifted and Talented identification and Multilingual Learner placement.

– Vanessa Hill, Gifted Education Coordinator at Amphitheater Public Schools

Why it matters: Because CogAT’s latest norms account for changes in student learning environments and demographics since the COVID-19 pandemic, they provide an even more accurate baseline for today’s learners.  

This is welcome news to K-12 teachers and leaders who rely on accurate norms to reduce bias and increase accuracy in identification—especially for Multilingual Learners and students from underrepresented backgrounds. 

Quick Takes

2025 Examples of Excelencia Finalists and Programs to Watch

Excelencia in Education has named 12 programs as 2025 Examples of Excelencia finalists for their proven success in advancing Latino student achievement in higher education. These standout initiatives offer evidence-based models for expanding college access, strengthening student support, and improving completion outcomes. Finalists span associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and community-based levels, and their efforts include bilingual family engagement, mentoring, and culturally responsive advising. Four programs will be spotlighted at Celebración de Excelencia this fall during Excelencia’s convening in Washington, D.C.

Google Pledges $1B to Bring Free AI Training to U.S. Colleges

Google has announced a three-year, $1 billion initiative to expand artificial intelligence education and training in the U.S., partnering with more than 100 universities and community colleges, including Texas A&M and the University of Michigan. The program will provide free AI training, cloud computing resources, and access to premium AI tools—such as an advanced version of its Gemini chatbot—to all eligible students. Participants will also receive a 12-month subscription to Google’s AI Pro plan, offering advanced tools for note-taking, research, and video generation, with the goal of eventually reaching every accredited nonprofit college in the country. [Reuters; Fox Business] 

The initiative comes as other tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, invest heavily in AI education. Google says it will work closely with schools to address concerns over cheating, privacy, and the impact of AI on critical thinking, while helping students build skills for an evolving, AI-driven workforce. The company also emphasizes strong privacy protections in its education tools, including that user data will not be human-reviewed or used to train AI models. 

In Memoriam: Dr. Terry O’Banion, Former President of the League for Innovation

Late last month, the higher education community marked the passing of Dr. Terry O’Banion, a pioneering force in the community college movement and architect of the “Learning College” model. As longtime president of the League for Innovation in the Community College, he championed a student-centered approach that redefined institutional policy and practice. Over a six-decade career, his ideas reached more than 1,000 colleges and inspired countless educators.

“Terry was a mentor, friend, scholar, innovator, and eloquent catalyst for change—especially around holistic advising and learning-centered education,” said Dr. Mark Milliron, president of National University, one of O’Banion’s successors as president of the League.

Dr. Gerardo de Los Santos, another former League leader, added: “I’ll simply convey that Terry O’Banion was one of the most prolific and significant writers, researchers, and idea champions in higher education. His contributions have positively influenced generations of diverse leaders who will carry on his amazing legacy.”

  • Dr. Aarti Dhupelia is the new chief executive officer of One Million Degrees. She most recently served as the executive vice chancellor and chief student experience officer at City Colleges of Chicago. 

  • The Virginia Department of Education announced Tiara Booker-Dwyer as the new deputy superintendent of student outcomes and school quality.

  • California State University Chancellor Mildred García has appointed Junius J. Gonzales as vice chancellor of Academic Affairs. Most recently, Gonzales has been provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Montclair State University (MSU) in New Jersey.

  • The Council for Higher Education Accreditation announced that Nasser H. Paydar, Ph.D., will be the organization’s third president. 

  • Erin Dunlop Velez joined the Institute for Higher Education Policy as its vice president of research. Velez, who was previously RTI International’s education research director, will lead IHEP’s research portfolio, which focuses on data and transparency, strong outcomes for all students, evidence-based completion, need-based aid and equitable admissions.

  • Kaitlyn Vitez is the new policy director for Complete College America. She previously served in the Biden Administration at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Communications and Outreach.

Check out W/A Jobs, which features 3,295 career opportunities from 304 organizations across the education industry. A few roles that caught our eye over the past week:

🎟️ Vote for Whiteboard at SXSW EDU!

SXSW EDU PanelPicker is live, and we’re thrilled to have several sessions featuring Whiteboard Advisors team members in the mix! This year’s proposals tackle some of the most urgent and exciting questions in education: How we fund it, tell its stories, integrate technology, and ensure every learner is supported and successful.

💡 Sessions include:

🗳️ Voting closes August 24. Support our sessions and help shape the conversations that will define what’s next in education.

Upcoming Events and Convenings