We Don’t Just Have an Assessment Volume Problem — We Have a Coherence Crisis

At this year’s Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) NCSA plenary, I shared a message that resonated deeply with state and district assessment leaders: our biggest challenge in education isn’t just the number of tests we give; it’s the lack of coherence tying our systems together.

For years, we’ve seen new tools, new tests, and new reports rolled out in the hope they’ll fix what feels off in our classrooms. But the truth is, you can’t fix a broken system with a fancier scoreboard. The real misalignment runs deeper: what we teach, what we test, and how we train teachers often don’t line up.

Here are three hard truths we need to face:

1. Misaligned assessments aren’t just weak — they’re irrelevant.
   When tests aren’t connected to the high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) teachers use, they become noise. They fail to guide teachers or help students grow. Teachers need the ability to see where their students are thriving, where they’re struggling, and find out why, so they can confidently adjust instruction and support every learner. 
2. We told teachers not to “teach to the test” — but did we ever ask if the test matches what they taught?
   The disconnect between what tests measure and what happens in classroom instruction leaves the system working against teachers instead of with them. Too often, educators don’t understand the purpose or design of the assessment they give, which leaves them with an impossible task to respond to data that they don’t understand. 
3. Tests meant to support learning have turned into tools for sorting, labeling, and gatekeeping.
   Instead of helping educators act, too many assessments focus solely on predicting student outcomes — and too often, they predict who will be left behind. We cannot be satisfied with assessment systems that tell us in August who is going to fail in May.  We owe it to educators to empower them with tools that help them change a student’s trajectory, not just predict it. 

We Need Actionable Insights, Not More Data

What teachers need isn’t just more data. They need data that changes the story — insights that help them know what went wrong and what to do next. When assessments shift from policing teachers to partnering with them, they stop telling us who failed and start showing us how to get it right.

At Achievement Network (ANet), that’s the driving force behind the innovations we’re building alongside our partners. We believe in assessments that build coherence — tying what’s taught, what’s tested, and what teachers need to grow into a single, aligned system. 

This is why we’re creating Compass — a smarter approach to assessment that moves the needle.

Built for today’s classrooms, Compass is intentionally designed to be compatible with HQIM and goes hand-in-hand with what students were most recently taught. It provides teachers actionable insights that illuminate not only where students need support but also areas of strength from which to build.  And most importantly, it is anchored on a belief that the most powerful tool in any classroom is great instruction.  

Because when the system works for teachers, it works for kids.

Learn More About Coherent and Aligned Assessments

Gain high-quality insights that pair with your high-quality instructional materials by joining our Compass Math email list. Get information about the pilot program here. 

If you’re looking for insights into your current assessment system, download our free Assessment Pulse Check tool that helps you map out the purpose and timing of your assessments.