Innovations in Assessment

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The Next Generation of Curriculum-Connected Through-Year Assessments

What are Through-year Assessments?

Through-year assessment models administer multiple tests throughout the school year as part of an assessment system designed to produce a single summative score meeting federal and state accountability requirements. Instead of one single, high-stakes summative assessment at the end of the year, through-year assessment systems aim to accomplish three things:

Break up the summative assessment administration into multiple shorter tests throughout the school year
Connect what students learn to what they are tested on, providing timely feedback to teachers, students and families
Produce a summative score

Why Through-year Assessments?

At their core, through-year assessments differ from states’ traditional summative assessments by measuring student performance multiple times over the school year instead of during a single sitting close to the end of the year. States hope the administration of tests throughout the year creates opportunities to address long-standing, legitimate concerns expressed by students, families and educators about traditional end-of-year summative assessments’ inability to support teaching and learning because they are:

Disconnected from curriculum and instruction,
Provide results that do not inform instruction, and
Require undue time and resources

How are states exploring through-year models?

Interested in learning more about these models and other resources related to planning for transitioning to a through-year model? View our featured resources.

Montana

Instructionally Aligned Assessment System for ELA

Aligned with local curriculum scope and sequence
Flexibly administered

Instructionally Aligned Assessment System for Math

Organized around 12 “strands” that represent grade-level content
Can administer the testlets in any order, to fit their local scope and sequence

Nebraska

Nebraska’s Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) Growth

Multi-phase item-level adaptive design
Each test picks up where student left off

Kansas

Kansas’ Predictive Interim Assessment & Interim Tests

Optional assessment
Clusters of standards also assessed

Texas

Through-Year Assessment Pilot (TTAP)

Multi-stage adaptive
Final Score is used

Louisiana

Louisiana’s Curriculum-connected ELA through-year assessments

Test blueprints are curriculum based
2 test forms to align with taught texts

Instructionally Aligned Assessment System for Math

Organized around 12 “strands” that represent grade-level content
Can administer the testlets in any order, to fit their local scope and sequence

Florida

Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST)

Provides real-time performance data
Monitors student progress

Georgia

Putnam County Consortium’s Navvy System

Short web-based assessments
Flexible on-demand assessments to fit instructional schedule

North Carolina

North Carolina’s Personalized Assessment Tool (NCPAT)

3 interims & flexible summative
Administered in any order

Virginia

Virginia’s Growth Assessments

Measures within-year growth

Delaware

Delaware’s Social Studies Through-Course Assessment

Focus on recently taught content
Teachers receive actionable feedback

Maine

Maine’s Through Year Assessment

Teachers receive interactive reports
Timely and actionable information for teachers

Indiana

Indiana’s Smarter Balanced Interims

Flexible — based on curriculum scope & sequence
Two forms for each interim used flexibly

Alaska

Alaska’s Map Growth/ Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR)

Two item-level adaptive tests
Immediate results from interim tests

What are viable regulatory pathways for states interested in using a through-year model for summative purposes?

While no fully operational through-year assessment systems have undergone federal peer review, a number of states are piloting such models they intend to use for federal accountability. ESSA codified into law an option for states to use “multiple statewide interim assessments that result in a single summative score that provides valid, reliable and transparent information on student achievement or growth” (Every Student Succeeds Act §1111, S.1177).

Education First explored with Foresight Law + Policy two viable pathways for states interested in transitioning their assessment system to a through-year model for accountability.

Viable regulatory pathways using a through-year model

Pathway 1:
Multiple Statewide
Interim Assessments

Design following ESEA requirements and build evidence for peer review

Ensure continued compliance with ESEA requirements by administering the innovative assessment and legacy state assessment to all students in pilot (double testing)

Submit State ESSA Plan Amendment with details of the innovative assessment system

Submit assessment for Peer Review after the first state wide administration but before the second and obtain USED determination

Design
Stage

Initial
Administration of
New/Innovative
Assessment

ESSA State
Plan
Amendment

USED State
Assessment
Peer Review
Process

Pathway 2:
IADA Innovative
Assessment System

Design following ESEA requirements and build evidence for peer review. Prepare and submit IADA application , receive IADA approval and demonstrate comparability of results throughout the demonstration period

Ensure continued compliance with ESEA requirements by administering legacy state assessment and determine by end of demonstration period if IADA should be administered statewide (no double testing)

Submit State ESSA Plan Amendment with details of the innovative assessment system

Submit assessment for Peer Review after the first statewide administration but before the second and obtain USED determination

Viable regulatory
pathways using a
through-year model

Pathway 1:
Multiple Statewide
Interim Assessments

Design following ESEA requirements and build evidence for peer review

Ensure continued compliance with ESEA requirements by administering the innovative assessment and legacy state assessment to all students in pilot (double testing)

Submit State ESSA Plan Amendment with details of the innovative assessment system

Submit assessment for Peer Review after the first state wide administration but before the second and obtain USED determination

Design
Stage

Initial
Administration of
New/Innovative
Assessment

ESSA State
Plan
Amendment

USED State
Assessment
Peer Review
Process

Pathway 2:
IADA Innovative
Assessment System

Design
Stage

Initial
Administration of
New/Innovative
Assessment

ESSA State
Plan
Amendment

USED State
Assessment
Peer Review
Process

Submit State ESSA Plan Amendment with details of the innovative assessment system

Submit assessment for Peer Review after the first statewide administration but before the second and obtain USED determination

Education First is working with states and assessment developers interested in testing and developing the next generation of through-year curriculum-connected assessments.

In the fall of 2021, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative seeded funding for Education First to work with assessment developers and state education agencies to pilot and test out through-year models. So far, Ed First has brought together three innovative assessment developers and engaged with leaders from 20+ state education agencies as part of a state advisory group and targeted state coaching.

If the grant program is successful, by June 2023, the project will have seeded multiple new assessment designs and test prototypes that can be available for assessment developers to subsequently develop into full-scale operational systems to take to market.

We have partnered with NWEA, New Meridian and CenterPoint Education to lead this work with their state and district partners.