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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...
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...
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...
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...
Spring 2021 Performance on Three Locally Determined Assessments in California
As part of the technical assistance provided by the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd (R15 CC) to the California State Board of Education (SBE)...
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,...
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...