This paper by Linda Darling-Hammond and Ray Pecheone outlines a set of principles that are shared by the systems of high‐achieving nations as well as a number of high‐achieving states in the United States. These systems include the following:
• Assessments are grounded in a thoughtful, standards‐based curriculum.
• Assessments include evidence of actual student performance on challenging tasks that evaluate standards of 21st-century learning.
• Teachers are integrally involved in the development of curriculum and the developmentand scoring of assessments.
• Assessments are structured to continuously improve teaching and learning.
• Assessment systems are aimed to drive high‐quality learning of ambitious intellectual skills.
• Assessment and accountability systems use multiple measures to evaluate students and schools.
