Interactive Booklet: The Basics of Assessment

Our educational system promises to support students in their journey to become the leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers of tomorrow. We have a responsibility to check that our system is keeping its promise to all students, and comparable and consistent statewide assessment data is essential in understanding how schools are serving those students and where to provide additional support where it’s needed most.

The Basics of Assessment is your go-to guide for assessment and provides an introduction to assessment systems, nationwide trends in assessment, ways for people at all levels of the system to become champions for high-quality assessment opportunities, and much more.

The cover of The Basics of Assessment book

We encourage states to emphasize the original intended uses of statewide annual assessments: to provide comparable data to identify outcome gaps; to provide educators, parents, and families with data to inform education planning and decision making; to help evaluate academic programs across districts and schools; and to prioritize additional funds, resources, and supports to the schools, educators, and students who need them most.

MIGUEL CARDONA U.S.
Secretary of Education

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