What Really Matters When Choosing an Assessment

Choosing the right assessment is one of the most impactful choices educators make to drive student success. When we depend on an assessment to help inform instruction, not just any assessment will do.

Supporting valid claims about what students know and can do, and where they need support in their learning journey, requires the assessment design to be research-based, validated for all purposes and uses, and provide clear and actionable reports. In short, to tailor instruction to meet student needs, we need to have strong confidence in what the assessment tells us about student learning. 

So how do we get confident about choosing an assessment to meet our needs? Here are three criteria to consider:

1. INSIGHTFUL: To help inform instructional decisions, assessment results need to indicate where students are along the learning trajectory in relation to grade-level expectations, not just how they stack up against their peers. This requires the assessment to be grounded in research about how students learn and progress along a trajectory from novice to proficient. Assessments that are designed to simply rank-order students do not do this; they don’t need to. When assessment results categorize students into performance categories, like proficient and advanced, they must be designed from research on how students learn. This is the only way that assessment results can provide insights about what students know and can do and where they need specific support.
2. ACTIONABLE: Assessments are useful to educators when the reports are easy to access, clear and easy to understand, offer actionable feedback, and connect directly to instructional resources. Meaningful assessment results don’t stop at “what does the student know?” They should help turn insights into action, providing clear guidance and tools on the next steps that move the student along the learning trajectory. Just as important, insights need to be meaningful to students and families, helping them understand progress and creating a shared sense of purpose and confidence in the learning journey.
3. COHERENT: Coherence happens when every part of the educational system—learning standards, curricula, instruction, assessment, and professional learning—work in harmony. A coherent system means there's a shared understanding of what it takes to meet grade-level expectations, giving educators a clear roadmap for each student. Results from assessments designed to support learning are more seamlessly integrated into curriculum and instruction for the whole class, small group, or individual.

When assessment results make daily instruction more targeted, more precise, more efficient, more effective, and integrate with instructional resources to address areas of need, students don’t just take tests—they benefit from the stronger teaching and support that helps them thrive.

Ready to Learn More?
Download the Assessment Reviewer’s Checklist.