Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability

Keyword: Assessment

K–2 Assessment Systems Enable Early Intervention to Foster Student Success

Across the United States, statewide assessments in English language arts and mathematics are federally mandated each school year in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. The intent is to help educators, policymakers, and parents directly gauge how students and their school systems are performing against state standards. Missing nationwide, however, is any […]

Kindergarten Readiness Assessments Help Identify Skill Gaps

Researchers have long traced achievement gaps in the elementary years back to readiness gaps at the start of kindergarten. Educators seeking to address these gaps, which are associated with race and ethnicity, home language, disability status, and indicators of economic disadvantage, need systematic ways to identify which children need what kinds of support as they […]

Making Decisions Using Assessment Data in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed all aspects of teaching and learning over the past two school years. Consequently, administration of summative assessments in spring 2021 looks different than most years. Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on student learning is fundamental for being able to develop responsive supports that address the needs of all […]

WestEd’s Standards‐to‐Standards Alignment and Evaluation Studies

WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct standards-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings to meet rigorous evidence requirements, such as federal peer review guidelines; and key feedback that contributes to quality content standards. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.

WestEd’s Curriculum‐to‐Standards Alignment Studies

WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct curriculum-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings on the alignment between local curricula and state content standards, and key feedback that contributes to quality standards-based curricula. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.

Assessment Leadership

A comprehensive, balanced assessment system and a culture of effective evidence use do not emerge by accident. They take capable leadership to build. Assessment leadership is essential for building a comprehensive, balanced assessment system and fostering the conditions in which meaningful assessment data can be used to produce improved learning outcomes at all levels of […]