Introduction

Tests are one important tool state and education leaders, teachers and parents rely on to help schools ensure students are on track for learning what they need for success. Tests signal the knowledge and skills that are most important, show how schools and students are progressing, and help identify where to direct resources so all students get the support they need. And as research from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce shows, we need tests that help students know whether they are going to be prepared for the rapidly evolving needs of the workforce. To learn more, check out this short briefing paper on why we need high quality tests to support student learning, or click on the map on the right to access state-specific papers that explain how each state can ensure a high-quality test.

Over the past four years, the High-Quality Assessment Project—an initiative sponsored by several foundations—provided resources to policymakers and advocates around the country to support them in making the transition to higher-quality state tests. With HQAP resources, these state and national leaders engaged in reviews of state test quality, developed materials for better engaging parents and teachers and commissioned research into public opinion about the importance of testing. Education First staffed the project, and we’ve collected some of the best resources our partners created and/or recommended.

HQAP also commissioned a set of final “case studies” from some grantees to dissect the activities they undertook, reflect on what worked and why, and share lessons with advocates in other states. You can access them below:

• "Grantee Accomplishments & Lessons Learned" - Education First
• "Engaging Washington's Students to Opt In for a Great Education" - Partnership for Learning/Ready Washington
• “Strategies for Engaging Latino Parents” - National Council of La Raza
• “Strengthening the Assessment Trajectory: Engaging Educators in the Policy Process” - National Network of State Teachers of the Year

What is a high-quality state test anyway? Click here for a simple handout with criteria that teachers and experts use. To jump to our latest update of the assessment landscape, visit here. For questions or to recommend additional resources, please contact Bill Porter, Partner at Education First.