In a State of Flux, Part Two:
Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation for State Assessment and Accountability

In partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, Education First developed a comprehensive “State of State Assessments: Part Two” report summarizing the challenges and opportunities for developing and implementing innovative summative assessment systems. The report builds on a 2018 “State of State Assessments report” from Education First on the current status of state assessments, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

There are two main sections in this report: the first section reviews the assessment and accountability landscape in the United States from the 1960s to today, identifying key trends, lessons and cautions. The second section catalogs possible innovative, next generation assessment ideas ripe for exploration. The catalog of innovative ideas arose from interviews with state leaders and assessment experts, an analysis of current problems in the assessment landscape that need to be solved and opportunities for innovation permitted by federal law.