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.
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.
This session has ended.
Session 2: Designing Coherent Assessment and Accountability Systems
February 18, 2026
After a decade of implementing accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states have developed a variety of approaches to building coherent systems that connect instruction, learning, and assessment. In this session, WestEd experts will explore pathways for states to achieve assessment coherence—ensuring that different assessments serve distinct purposes without creating conflicting messages—and highlight promising approaches for strengthening coherence within existing frameworks or redesigning systems from the ground up, with an emphasis on stronger connections to improved student outcomes.
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