Giving Compass' Take:

• Education Dive reports on increased stress among students due to traditional testing methods, and how some schools are seeking alternatives that might help measure soft skills.

• Will project-based learning be the future when it comes to assessing student performance?

• No matter which way school testing goes, here's what impactful education funding looks like.

Students' levels of cortisol, a hormone that can rise in response to stress, increased 15% right before they took an exam, according to a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

It’s unclear whether schools’ heavy emphasis on test prep is either helping students stay calm by making them feel prepared or adding to their stress and anxiety, Chalkbeat reports, citing the study.

Some schools are bypassing assessments completely, turning to project-based learning options. Community Public Charter School in Charlottesville, Virginia, is one such school, which highlights skills building over multiple choice tests, writes EdSurge.

Read the full article about alternative assessments for evaluating students by Lauren Barack at Education Dive.