Education Policy

Education Policy

Educators and policymakers need supportive policies to improve schools. We partner with states and districts to develop those policies and advocate their adoption at the district, state and federal levels. In papers, blog posts and presentations nationally, we highlight good policy practices.

Recent Education Policy Projects

Maryland

We partnered with Maryland as it undertook a comprehensive re-envisioning of both its assessment and accountability systems. The Center helped develop and coordinate a broad-based task force to help define policy priorities, which we documented in a comprehensive report that outlined clear recommendations to improve assessment and accountability.

National Assessment Governing Board

Scott Marion is one of three measurement professionals on the 26-member board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” In this role, he helps support the technical quality of the assessment and advocates for strong policies to support it.

Policy briefs, blogs and webinars

We work to build support for federal and state policies to support high-quality assessment and accountability systems that ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to learn meaningful content and skills. Two short papers, “The Case for State Testing” and “The Case for Statewide School Accountability Systems,” are recent examples of this work.

Recent Education Policy Blog Posts and Papers

Testing Democracy: How Large-Scale Assessment Systems Can Support Civic Learning

This paper provides guidance to support small changes that could help raise the salience of civic goals and generate data to monitor progress.
March 2, 2026

Measuring Durable Skills: Why States Need More Than a Test

A large-scale test isn’t enough to measure durable skills. A broader view of assessment opens up a nuanced, more promising landscape.
February 25, 2026

Artificial Intelligence in Large-Scale Assessment Systems

An exploration of the potential of AI, especially generative AI, in key stages of the educational assessment life cycle.
February 18, 2026

Academic Growth: Recommendations for the Senate HELP Committee

The Center responds to the Senate HELP Committee's request for information on academic growth models.
February 13, 2026
young people sitting on steps outdoors, talking

Assessing Civic Learning

The editors of a new book discuss how assessment can support civics learning and students' engagement in civics.
February 11, 2026

Using School and Classroom Climate Surveys to Improve Learning Environments (Part 2)

Several key questions arise when school leaders decide to use a climate survey to learn about students’ experiences. We explore them and offer guidance.
January 21, 2026

Using School and Classroom Climate Surveys to Improve Learning Environments (Part 1)

Education leaders seeking insight into students’ learning experiences have a powerful, low-cost tool at their disposal: school climate surveys.
January 14, 2026

Reflecting on 2025 and Looking Ahead to 2026

2025 brought many challenges to K-12 education. The Center for Assessment moves into 2026 with a clear-eyed vision in changing times.
January 7, 2026
A classroom of students with their hands raised, sitting at desks.

Teacher Engagement With Embedded Classroom Assessments

We studied how Chicago teachers use the district’s curriculum-embedded assessments, patterns that point to the kinds of support they need.
December 17, 2025
A desk covered in papers with people pointing at key information on the papers.

Accountability System Design Tensions

Why we keep adding measures to our school accountability systems and how we can harness the idea of subtraction to streamline them.
December 10, 2025
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