Designing Equitable Through-Year Assessments
Crucial technical considerations for advocates and state administrators.
December 04, 2024 by 
While through-year assessment models hold tremendous promise, not all these models and initiatives are created equal. This accompanying resource to 5 Things Every Equity Advocate Should Know About Through-Year Assessments highlights crucial technical considerations for advocates and state administrators. It also provides state-level policymakers, administrators, and advocates with detailed guidance on prioritizing equity when designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating new or existing through-year assessment initiatives.
This technical resource:
Informs advocates, administrators, and policymakers about the potential of through-year assessments — and the significant investments required for successful implementation
Identifies five core elements of a successful, equitable through-year assessment model:
- Actionable Reporting
- Authentic engagement opportunities during development and implementation to understand the experiences of those most directly impacted by the through-year assessment model
- Coherent, equity-centered design
- Robust supports for system leaders and educators
- Meaningful opportunities to assess the impact of the pilot
Outlines specific assessment design considerations, including EdTrust recommendations, that are best suited to support an equitable through-year assessment design
Highlights promising strategies and policy recommendations for advocates to use in discussions with state leaders
Check out our other reports in this series on how to improve statewide assessment systems: