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Explore guides, research papers, policy briefs, and tools to aid decisions on standards and assessments.
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Case Reviews: Implementing the Spirit of Formative Assessment
The following resource provides vignettes about teachers who are attempting to implement formative assessment in their schools. The two vignettes are from a study by...
Science is Coming to the California Dashboard
This essential guide for California assists educators in preparing for the integration of science performance data into the California School Dashboard. Starting with the 2025...
From Conversation to Action: Developing and Implementing School Accountability Principles
On December 11, 2024, WestEd school accountability experts Eric Crane, Mitch Herz, and Corey Cornett are hosting a "how-to" workshop that explores concrete actions for...
Focusing the Conversation: Developing and Using Guiding Principles to Strengthen School Accountability Systems
School accountability systems can be used to identify shared goals for student outcomes and provide a vocabulary to facilitate conversations about school improvement. Identifying clear...
Kindergarten Entry Assessments: An Examination of Best Practices, National Trends, and Recommendations
States and districts use Kindergarten entry assessments (KEA) as evaluative tools for understanding students' learning along developmental domains. Data from KEAs are informative for guiding...
Key Elements of a Coherent and Equitable Local Assessment System
State assessments play an important role in monitoring how well schools and districts serve the needs of all learners. However, they are designed to provide...
Components of a Coherent and Equitable Assessment System
Assessment data have different purposes and uses depending on the interest holders who use the information they generate and whether they are geared toward the...
A First Look at Early Literacy Performance in Massachusetts
Massachusetts commissioned WestEd to conduct a study of the state's K-3 student reading skills. WestEd's report, authored by Mariann Lemke, Dan Murphy, Aaron Soo Ping...
English Learner (EL) Pre-Referral Flow Chart Questions
This decision-making flow chart includes target questions that Child Study teams or MTSS teams should address when working through the pre-referral decision-making process. Each school...
Demystifying Statewide Standardized Assessments: What Statewide Assessments Are Designed to Measure
State standardized assessments measure students’ skills and knowledge relative to what students should have been taught during the school year. The scores are used to...