What It Takes to Implement Balanced Assessment Systems

Students are being over-tested in most American classrooms. Do all these assessments provide educators and leaders with unique and valuable information, or do some of them overwhelm the system with more data than information?

We can create a better balance of assessments, so that state, district, school and classroom leaders get good, timely information that can inform decisions at their level of the system. We can do this by: (1) ensuring the purpose and use for each assessment is made clear; (2) building tighter linkages among the curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and (3) carefully weighing the tradeoffs of reducing instructional time to obtain assessment information.

Examples of more balanced assessment systems are rare, but we will elevate voices of those leading this work, drawing on their different approaches to build a broader set of implementation features to help accelerate this work at scale.

At the 2025 Reidy Interactive Learning Series (RILS), we ask: 

• How do less balanced assessment systems impact teachers, students, and others? 
• What are state- and district-level barriers to balanced assessment systems, and what facilitates them? 
• How have states and districts navigated moving toward more balanced assessment systems?

Honoring the longstanding history of RILS, the conference will be highly interactive, with plenty of time for participants to share insights and experiences and discuss examples with colleagues in addition to learning from district, state, and national experts through presentations and panels. See our learning goals below.

Whether you are a state, district or school leader, or you support others at these levels, this conference will deepen your understanding of what it takes to implement balanced assessment systems. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can’t wait to see you in beautiful Portsmouth, N.H., on September 18-19, 2025!

Key Topics	Learning Goals By the end of the conference, participants will…
Historical Context & Background	Understand what balanced assessment systems are, their historical context and background, and why they are so important in practice Understand the important connections and necessary coherence among curriculum, instruction, and assessment, derived from a vision for ambitious teaching and learning that drives the coherence
Impact of Less Balanced Systems on Teaching & Learning	Understand the impacts of less balanced assessment systems on those who use or are affected by them, most notably teachers and students
District & State Stories	Learn from various districts/schools that are exploring how to balance their assessment system Learn from states that have tried to play varied roles in relation to balanced assessment systems and common barriers/facilitators to state actions
District & State Roles in the Solution	Understand the unique and specific roles of district and state leaders in supporting more balanced assessment systems in practice Learn from panel respondents about how state and district stories relate to their work on a national or local scale Understand what additional conversations, policy changes, etc., are needed to support the work of districts and states
Where Do We Go From Here?	Identify factors that serve as barriers and facilitators  to moving toward more balanced assessment systems