This workbook, prepared by WestEd for the Council of Chief State School Officers, contains the vision, infrastructure, and resource questions critical to a thorough, district-level self-examination of readiness for an interim assessment system. Staff at state departments of education can also use this resource with district-level staff that need guidance.

The questions are intended to guide school districts and other district stakeholders through a structured consideration of building or revisiting a district’s interim assessment system. The questions are designed to be answered collaboratively. The authors of this workbook believe that a team of district stakeholders addressing these questions is the approach most likely to yield progress in creating a lasting, successful system.

The workbook is organized into the following nine sections:

  • Goals and Vision
  • Elements and Features
  • Professional Development
  • Alignment to Standards and Curriculum
  • Costs and Capacity
  • Test Development and Technical Quality
  • Administration and Scoring
  • Reporting
  • Evaluation