Creating Assessment Systems That Work Together to Support Student Learning 

November 14, 2025

Assessment tools and practices provide evidence of student learning for many different purposes—from informing immediate next steps for an individual student to understanding how well a program supports a whole group of students. No matter the purpose, every assessment activity should be used to make decisions that can improve learning for students. 

However, it’s not enough to consider each assessment tool individually. School and district leaders must consider how all the assessments used in their system work together in a clear way. Without this coherent approach, supporting all students in meeting their individual learning goals becomes much more difficult.  

WestEd’s recent Leading Together webinar explored how school and district leaders can build assessment systems in which all the pieces work together in a clear and purposeful way to improve student learning. 

Led by Julie Webb, a senior program associate for the Assessment for Learning team at WestEd, and Tiffany Katanyoutanant, a research associate for the same team, the session demonstrated how thoughtful assessment system design can move beyond accountability and compliance to genuinely support teaching and learning. 

Understanding Assessment System Components 

Assessment systems operate at different levels within the education framework, and the purposes and uses of assessment data differ depending on the grade level and people who need access to the data. 

• At the classroom level, teachers use assessments to inform immediate next steps in learning and to share data with students. This includes both summative assessments through which teachers gather evidence during instruction and formal classroom assessments—like end-of-unit tests—that measure individual student achievement. 

• At the school and district levels, assessments inform instruction and planning through interim and benchmark assessments to understand student progress toward content mastery. This level also includes screening and tools that help identify students who might need additional learning supports.
• At the state level, standardized end-of-year assessments inform evaluation of programs and policies and provide comparable information across schools and districts. Because state assessments focus on broad comparisons, local leaders have little choice in the tests that make up state assessment systems. These assessments may not always align perfectly with local learning values, priorities, and agreements about what student learning means. 

What Makes a Local Assessment System Effective? 

A clear and effective local assessment system is one in which districts and schools select assessments that proactively address their desired learning goals.  

These assessment systems should show clear alignment with a shared vision for teaching and learning that reflects how students should experience learning and what it looks like for students to demonstrate content mastery. 

In this type of assessment system, multiple measures present a complete picture of student learning over time. Assessments are used for their intended purposes and collect the pieces of learning data that educators need to understand. The system contains accessible assessment tools and strategies for all learners so that all students have the necessary supports to address any barriers that might hinder their participation. 

Finally, an effective system focuses on identifying and building on students’ strengths. It values students’ languages, cultures, and experiences and invites students to draw upon this knowledge when participating in assessments. 

Eight Key Characteristics of Effective Assessment Systems 

Webb and Senior Project Director Jessica Arnold identified eight key characteristics that can be used as a reference to identify areas for closer examination or priorities for future actions in designing and refining assessment systems. 

• Informative systems provide data that are relevant for teaching, learning, and system improvement.  
• Aligned systems ensure that assessment tools match the standards, curricula, and instructional approaches selected locally.  
• Comprehensive systems use data from multiple measures to create a complete picture of learning rather than relying on just one tool. 
• Worthwhile systems prioritize student learning over data production, ensuring that assessments aren’t administered without purpose and that all partners have the knowledge and tools to access data for teaching and learning decisions.  
• Strengths-based systems identify and build on what students can do rather than just focusing on deficits. 
• Appropriate systems make assessment tools and strategies accessible for all learners with needed accommodations.  
• Relevant systems ensure that assessment opportunities are meaningful and engaging to students and aligned with what students have been learning.  
• Agency-fostering systems encourage students to develop their own agency as learners, helping them see the purpose of assessments and use data to identify supports they need or places to extend their learning. 

Regular evaluation helps leaders understand what’s happening in local assessment systems and identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. System evaluations should be conducted regularly because priorities and goals may shift, and regular evaluation keeps the system aligned and coherent. 

How We Help 

Learn more about WestEd’s work with the Assessment for Learning team in improving instruction while also developing new practices and cultural norms that help students gain the skills and determination to monitor and advance their own learning toward better outcomes. 

Watch the full webinar and view other webinars in the Leading Together series.