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Two young boys with pencils and laptops are smiling and a logo for The Learning Accelerator is in the top corner

Colleagues and friends, 


A few weeks ago, I completed a Wilderness First Responder course. To earn my certification, I had unlimited time and attempts to pass online checks for understanding and unit assessments. After five days of in-person learning, I also completed an end-of-course exam. This was all accompanied by demonstrations of mastery via practicum where we engaged in hands-on scenarios to practice skills in different contexts and received feedback from peers and instructors. 


This experience reminded me of the critical role that assessment plays in learning. As I reflected on current K-12 approaches, I was also reminded of a critical question that has emerged across much of our work on The Learning Accelerator’s (TLA) Research, Measurement, & Policy team: What if our current assessment systems are holding students back rather than propelling them forward? 


Understanding the efficacy and potential of innovative learning models requires equally innovative assessment approaches. Interestingly, today’s virtual students offer us a case study through which to understand where and how current assessments fall short of an “anytime, anywhere” education future. Their experiences highlight that today’s state assessment systems are rigid, often disconnected from authentic learning, and focused on student performance against narrow academic standards. The inability for states to assess virtual students’ learning where and when it actually happens also presents barriers to equity. For example, several of our partners shared stories of virtual students forced to complete in-person state assessments, despite unnecessary stress and burden, highlighting a critical need for change.


For this reason, we decided that our first major policy project should address measuring student learning  particularly as it happens anywhere and anytime. We collaborated with our partners at the Digital Learning Collaborative to produce a whitepaper and companion policy recommendations for state and school leaders. The resources linked below provide actionable guidance to meet the immediate needs of virtual students. Even more importantly, they point to ways we can begin to build a future where assessments drive meaningful learning for all.


We developed these resources with feedback from trusted partners from across the sector and continue to welcome input as we work to ensure our research, measurement, and policy products support your work as you advance high-quality learning that helps every student reach their full potential.


Sincerely yours,

Dr. Beth Holland, Managing Director, Research, Measurement, & Policy


P.S. Keep scrolling for additional information, but don’t miss our January 30th webinar on “Developing a Strategic, Outcomes-Based Approach to AI Tool Selection and Deployment.” Register at the link here.

Explore TLA's New Policy Resources

A cover page for a report titled "Assessing Learning Anytime, Anywhere: Virtual Learning as a Launchpad Into the Future" dated November 2024. The page features two organizational logos at the top: The Learning Accelerator and Digital Learning Collaborative. The title is displayed in large blue text, with a decorative turquoise and blue curved design element on the right side. The authors listed are Dr. Peter Robertson from Digital Learning Collaborative, and Dr. Beth Holland, Michael Ham, and Dr. Beth Rabbitt from The Learning Accelerator. At the bottom, there is a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License notice.

Assessing Learning Anytime, Anywhere


For leaders across the K-12 sector, accessing valid and reliable assessment data is essential to understanding student learning and holding schools accountable. However, as more students engage in virtual and hybrid models, current assessment systems — designed primarily for traditional classrooms — fail to capture learning reliably across these diverse settings.


A joint effort by the Digital Learning Collaborative and TLA’s Research, Measurement, & Policy team, this paper outlines how we can reimagine assessment to gain meaningful, actionable insights regardless of where, when, or how students learn. 


We believe that by addressing some urgent challenges – illustrated by virtual schools’ existing issues with state assessments – we have a unique opportunity to build systems that better serve students, schools, and states to ensure every learner has a personalized pathway to success.


Read the full report by Dr. Peter Robertson, Dr. Beth Holland, Michael Ham, and Dr. Beth Rabbitt.

BRIEF: Recommendations for State Leaders

Recognizing that policymakers and education leaders play different roles in addressing these challenges, this brief tailors guidance for legislators and policymakers, who focus on setting policies and securing funding mechanisms, and state education agency (SEA) leaders who translate policies into actionable programs and systems.


These recommendations address three key challenges in virtual assessment:


  1. Ensuring Validity and Trust in Assessment Systems: Policies and practices must maintain security, validity, and comparability across modalities while building stakeholder trust.
  2. Addressing Equity and Access Gaps: Virtual testing must ensure all students – including those in underserved communities or requiring accommodations – can participate fairly and equitably in the process.
  3. Building Sustainable Assessment Systems: Long-term success depends on scalable, cost-effective solutions that minimize disruptions to learning and align with state goals.
Explore the Brief

BRIEF: Recommendations for School Leaders

School leaders are uniquely positioned to champion equitable and accessible assessments for all learners, including those in virtual environments. This brief recommends practical, immediate steps while paving the way for sustainable, long-term improvements in these critical areas:


  1. Building Trust and Protecting Integrity in Virtual Testing
  2. Ensuring Equitable Access for All Students
  3. Adapting Systems and Policies for the Future


For school leaders, each recommendation outlines a Critical Action to address the challenges described above, a Why This Matters section to highlight its significance, and Building Blocks to help virtual school leaders effectively achieve the identified critical actions.

Explore the Brief

Reimagining Assessment for a Student-Centered Future

A laptop with a black keyboard, a pair of glasses, and a standardized test answer sheet or bubble sheet with a yellow pencil placed on top. The items are arranged on a surface, creating an academic testing environment composition.

“Reimagining assessment is more than addressing a pressing challenge for today’s virtual students — it’s a transformative opportunity to unlock the future of teaching and learning.” Michael Ham, TLA Partner, Research, Measurement, & Policy.


Although virtual learners can thrive with personalized pathways and flexible schedules, these benefits often clash with the rigid demands of conventional testing methods. Long travel distances to unfamiliar testing centers add stress, while traditional assessments fail to capture critical skills like self-direction, time management, and adaptability — skills that are central to virtual learning environments. Our accompanying blog explores how these challenges not only undervalue the achievements of virtual learners but also limit our ability to compare virtual and traditional education models fairly.

Upcoming Webinar

Developing a Strategic, Outcomes-Based Approach to AI Tool Selection and Deployment

A promotional image for an upcoming live webinar titled "Developing a Strategic, Outcomes-Based Approach to AI Tool Selection and Deployment." The webinar features three speakers shown in circular profile photos with green borders: Rodolfo Elizondo (Chief Instructional Officer, Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools), Beth Rabbitt (Chief Executive Officer, The Learning Accelerator) as moderator, and John Rice (Director of Middle School Teaching and Learning, Hamilton County Public Schools).  The event is scheduled for January 30, 2025, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET. The design uses a blue and white color scheme with green accents, featuring The Learning Accelerator logo in the top right corner and a microphone icon indicating it's a live webinar in the top left.

With so many new AI tools flooding the education space, school leaders face a big question: How do we prioritize the right challenges and make AI work for all students?


Join us for a webinar hosted by The Learning Accelerator where we’ll dive into how school systems can leverage AI to tackle equity challenges and improve teaching effectiveness. You’ll hear from other leading education experts about successful strategies, pilot programs, and evaluation techniques you can use to make thoughtful decisions for your district.


Date: January 30, 2025, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET

Register Now

Current Teachers: We Want To Hear From You

In partnership with Vivi, our Research & Measurement team is conducting a study to create a body of evidence for system, school, and technology leaders to better understand how they might ensure that teachers feel successful in their classrooms. If you are a current teacher, we would love to hear from you!


Please take 5-10 minutes to complete this survey for a chance to win a $200 gift card. We appreciate your input and will be sharing our findings this spring.

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