Standards, Assessment & Accountability

The Standards, Assessment, and Accountability Initiative focuses on the three historical and most powerful drivers of education systems. State by state, we have made progress in these areas over the past decade-but we need to continue to support and effect the transformative change that will truly prepare every child, in every school, for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

To accomplish this goal nationwide, we believe that we must approach the next wave of standards, ass...

The Standards, Assessment, and Accountability Initiative focuses on the three historical and most powerful drivers of education systems. State by state, we have made progress in these areas over the past decade-but we need to continue to support and effect the transformative change that will truly prepare every child, in every school, for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

To accomplish this goal nationwide, we believe that we must approach the next wave of standards, assessments, and accountability with a united and collaborative front. We are harnessing the collective wisdom of the states-and carefully examining international models-to develop innovative and uniquely American systems of standards, assessments, and accountability.

In each of the three areas, CCSSO is breaking new ground with solutions that currently do not exist in this country or, in some cases, anywhere else in the world.

We are working with states to ensure that standards convey rigorous expectations for all students, in all core subjects. We are supporting states in developing comprehensive and balanced assessment systems that effectively measure learning and growth, cover a broad range of knowledge and skills that reflect real-world demands, and provide timely and actionable information on every child's progress. And we are helping states connect standards and assessments to policies and practices that hold decision makers accountable for every student's success.

In all of this work, CCSSO brings together state leaders and professionals, subject-matter experts, and stakeholder organizations-and forges consensus for moving education forward nationwide.