States that have adopted the Common Core State Standards are in the early stages of revising curriculum frameworks, adopting new instructional materials, developing new assessment systems, and providing professional development for teachers to prepare them to deliver instruction aligned to the new standards.

This process has the potential to fundamentally transform public education for the majority of U.S. students. It is therefore essential that policymakers and education leaders take full account of the issues and challenges as early as possible in the implementation process.

This report, produced by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), includes three papers that address critical issues in assessment policy. Former WestEd Senior Research Associate Robert Linquanti contributed a paper on the assessment of English language learner students.