About

States and districts need substantial knowledge and skills to fully implement, evaluate, and improve their assessment and accountability systems in order to reach the overarching No Child Left Behind goal of academic proficiency for all students. WestEd and the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) joined together to form the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center (AACC) to help states and districts reach this goal. The Year 3 AACC Work Plan (PDF) reflects our approach to help states meet NCLB goals.

The AACC is part of a federal technical assistance system that includes four other Content Comprehensive Centers, the Regional Education Laboratories, and research and technical assistance centers focusing on the needs of English language learners and students with disabilities.

Using the best knowledge and resources, the AACC targets the following priority areas:

establishing assessment and accountability systems that include and support special needs students, particularly low-socioeconomic students, special education students, and English language learners;
using data from large-scale assessment programs and formative assessments to diagnose needs, guide instruction, and monitor student and program progress;
implementing efficient and user-friendly integrated statewide data systems that support both instructional and administrative needs;
designing accountability systems that measure both status and growth in a reliable and valid manner; and
meeting the unique challenges of high school assessment and accountability.

The WestEd/CRESST partnership offers the Regional Comprehensive Centers and states a national perspective on research-based resources and access to established collections of effective models, processes, research syntheses, toolkits, software systems, products, and strategies to fulfill specific state assessment and accountability needs. The AACC also:

identifies and evaluates relevant research studies and other technical assistance resources;
synthesizes across bodies of research;
benchmarks and identifies best practices;
translates into materials, training, and other resources useful for those working with state and district education systems; and
disseminates such knowledge and resources.

AACC reviews include an analysis of context factors that affect program and resource success including environmental conditions, readiness factors, and essential support systems.