ICYMI, we convened nearly 300 education leaders, measurement experts, researchers, policymakers and advocates at the National Forum on the Future of Assessment and Accountability. We envisioned this as an opportunity to bridge divides, engage in dialogue across perspectives and learn from efforts trying to improve how we assess learning and hold ourselves and systems accountable for improvement. Here are three takeaways that I’ve been sitting with since:
To kick off the Forum, we heard five Vision Vignettes outlining key principles for the future of assessment and accountability. These visions were overlapping, complementary and sometimes in tension with each other. They pushed us to consider:
Across all the visions outlined, there was general agreement that the primary responsibility of schools is to ensure students are proficient in reading, writing and mathematics, and that they have the educational foundation they need to thrive, sustain themselves as adults and contribute to a thriving economy. There was also agreement that students with disabilities, English learners and students experiencing poverty should have the resources they need to succeed. Most believe in the importance of transparency and of bringing data, research, and evidence-based practices to bear as we support students to succeed. And, we all want students to be able to demonstrate what they know and can do and generally agree that this requires multiple ways of capturing learning.
We surveyed attendees at the end of the first day and asked what they believed is the most critical design principle for the future of assessment and accountability. Several themes emerged highlighting the need for a system that includes a balance of academic and non-academic measures of success and moving away from a system anchored in compliance to one focused on improvement. However, the most common response was a system where data and reporting are timely, transparent, actionable and used to drive decisions effectively and efficiently.
Some might disagree, but the alignment around a vision and goals is a source of optimism for me. I understand that the primary challenge right now is not in defining our aspirations but in effectively implementing them—work that will require sustained dialogue and collaboration across the field. However, in this moment of uncertainty, with a new Trump administration likely to reshape federal policy and key elements of the current system, it is critical that we remain focused on our collective north star, ensuring that our progress is not compromised.
In the weeks leading up to the Forum, The Trump Administration issued dozens of executive orders impacting various facets of education. Attendees valued the opportunity to step back, connect and build community and explore both the big picture opportunities and challenges looming ahead for states, school communities and the field as a whole. Here are some of the top considerations that came up throughout the week:
How will states respond? State education agency leaders and state boards of education members from twenty-six states attended the Forum. Discussions about what block granting federal funding (a key Trump administration priority) would mean for assessment and accountability requirements loomed large. Which states would maintain some version of their current systems if federal backstops go away, and, what are the potential opportunities (and risks) for state leadership if given the opportunity to reimagine their systems without federal requirements?
We heard from two state chiefs during our closing keynote, Secretary Katie Jenner of Indiana and Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green of Rhode Island. Both shared a clear-eyed commitment to maintaining their systems of assessment and accountability, data transparency and rigorous expectations for improvement in their states. Will others follow suit?
What will become of data systems, quality and integrity? A few of the key responsibilities of federal education agencies and departments include oversight and compliance of assessment quality through the peer review process; executing and providing guidance to states to meet statutory requirements for accountability, data reporting and school improvement outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act; maintaining longitudinal data systems for the Nation’s Report Card and other national data sets; and, monitoring, responding to and ensuring civil rights violations are remedied, particularly for students with disabilities, English learners and students experiencing poverty.
Several sessions at the Forum presented work, learnings, policy or practice ideas that grappled with the future of these core federal functions. For example, one session discussed how states might become responsible for defining and upholding the technical qualities of their summative assessment systems without a federally managed peer review process. What technical requirements, rigor and quality standards will states uphold if given this autonomy? Another session discussed the current capacity needed in states to carry out effective school identification and improvement efforts. Without enforcement of federal requirements to identify schools according to the performance of specific student groups, how will states maintain transparency and ensure their most vulnerable students are served and receive the education they deserve in all schools?
How might funding priorities shift? What about existing or funded programs? Several attendees at the forum are current recipients of the latest $30 million awarded through the Competitive Grants for State Assessment (CGSA) program. While Congress appropriated these funds, the executive branch retains authority to delay disbursement or enhance oversight. We’ve also seen examples of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recommending reductions or cancellation of these funds.
Three sessions, led by states and their partners, shared their ongoing work that is in prototype, pilot or operational stages and relies heavily on these federal dollars to advance to the next stages in their states. Significant time, effort and resources have gone into launching each of these programs and these states—alongside their vendors and technical assistance partners—have been assessing potential risks to their grants and developing strategies to safeguard their efforts.
My view on these questions is that, if states are poised for additional autonomy, agency and leadership, the work ahead for many of us is ensuring states have the support, capacity and advocacy they need to preserve the critical components in their systems of assessment and accountability:
For me, perhaps the most exciting part of the Forum was getting to hear from more than 132 speakers during 46 sessions sharing their insights and their learnings. What struck me the most was the approach each of these presenters took to ground their learnings in proof points and evidence, tapping into the knowledge and expertise of students, families, practitioners and academics, and taking stock of lessons from the past to avoid the same pitfalls as they work to improve their products, systems and policies. The principles we heard in day one came to life in the ways each of the sessions attempted to improve data transparency and actionable insights, ensure policies advance opportunities and learning for each student, grappled with reciprocity and balance between federal, state and local systems, and upheld the importance of rigorous academic standards and student development. I left with a strong sense that while there is so much work needed to move our field forward, we have a strong foundation in place to build from.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing a National Roadmap for the Future of Assessment and Accountability. This Roadmap will highlight the key insights, ideas and recommendations that emerged during the forum to move policy, research, measurement and collaboration across our field forward. In the meantime, we’ve profiled many of the efforts presented at the Forum in our most recent report In Pursuit of Transformation and we’ve catalogued their Forum presentations and materials here. I encourage you to check them out.
In my closing remarks, I shared four words that captured what I felt in that moment: Urgency, purpose, heart and rigor. The challenges ahead require us to do more than just push for better assessments or fairer accountability measures. They require us to step out of our typical ideological bubbles and fundamentally rethink how we define success, how we listen to those most affected by our systems and how we move forward with urgency and purpose. We must do so without compromising the rigorous expectations we have for every young person in our schools, all while keeping an open heart and mind to engage in dialogue, dissent and partnership.
