Join WestEd to strengthen your understanding of the shifting federal landscape and design coherent systems that support improved student outcomes.
Through multipart coaching cycles, WestEd’s State Strategy Lab provides state education agency (SEA) leadership teams with the resources and support they need to anticipate and respond to changes in federal funding for education. This fall and winter, WestEd’s State Strategy Lab will focus on assessment and accountability in our next virtual series in which state teams will join WestEd experts and SEA peers in three Cross-State Learning Sessions (60 minutes each) and three Customized Coaching Sessions (75 minutes each).
Session 1: Understanding Federal Context and Assessment and Accountability Waiver Opportunities
December 11, 2025
Federal policy changes and waiver opportunities have reshaped the assessment and accountability landscape for states. In this session, WestEd experts will provide an overview of these changes and outline potential approaches to navigating the new environment.
Session 2: Designing Coherent Assessment Systems
January 14, 2026
Assessment coherence connects instruction, learning, and assessment while ensuring that different assessments serve distinct purposes without creating conflicting messages. In this session, WestEd experts will explore pathways for states to achieve coherence, whether redesigning systems from the ground up or strengthening coherence within existing frameworks.
Session 3: Building Coherent Accountability Frameworks
TBD
After a decade of implementing accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states have provided a variety of approaches to building coherent accountability systems. In this session, WestEd experts will highlight promising approaches and provide key lessons for building accountability systems that emphasize coherence and stronger connections to improved student outcomes.
All Cross-State Learning Sessions will take place 12–1 p.m. ET / 9–10 a.m. PT. Each session will be followed by a Customized Coaching Session to be scheduled with individual state teams.
Who Should Participate
SEA teams (approximately 4–6 members) including:
- Chief State School Officers, Deputy Chiefs, and Chiefs of Staff
- Directors and Deputy Directors of Assessment
- Lead Psychometricians
- Directors and Deputy Directors of Accountability and Federal Programs
- Directors of Policy, Communications, and Strategic Initiatives
- Directors of English Learners and Special Education
Featured Speakers
- Sarah Barzee, Senior Director of State Education Services
- Kate Wright, Senior Director of State Education Services
- Alicia Kielmovitch, Director, Policy and Outreach
- Sarah Quesen, Director of Assessment Research and Innovation
- Mitch Herz, School Accountability Researcher
- Molly Faulkner-Bond, Research Director, English Learners and Migrant Education
- Kate Nagle, Senior Program Associate, Special Education Policy and Practice