New research proposes framework to build coherence in assessment systems

For more than two decades, studies of assessment alignment in K-12 education have focused on the question of how effectively assessment items match academic standards. 

A new research article by researchers from Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) argues that this approach is not just limited, it fundamentally misses the point. And they've built a framework to do it differently. 

In their article, A Comprehensive Alignment Framework for Building Coherence in an Assessment System, lead author Brooke Nash and fellow researchers Meagan Karvonen, Claudia Flowers, Amy Clark, Russell Swinburne Romine and Sue Bechard propose a framework that examines how all parts of an assessment system work together to support valid interpretations and uses of student results. 

The authors argue that limiting alignment to the relationship between items and standards leaves too much of the assessment system unexamined.  Blueprint standards, achievement level descriptors, task models, scoring procedures, reported results, and—for some assessments—even curriculum and professional development all shape whether assessment results mean what they are supposed to mean. Ignoring those connections can leave assessment programs with evidence of compliance but little insight into how well the system actually works. 

To help assessment developers evaluate those relationships, the framework centers on three guiding questions: 

1. Which elements of the assessment system need to be aligned, and what claims are being made about those relationships? 
2. What purposes will the alignment evidence serve, and how will it be used? 
3. What types of evidence will be used to evaluate the intended alignment relationships?  

The framework encourages developers to answer those questions early in the assessment development process. By defining expectations in advance and collecting evidence throughout design and development, assessment programs can identify and address potential misalignments before they affect students, educators or decision-makers. 

A key feature of the framework is its flexibility. The authors argue that alignment expectations should reflect the design and intended uses of a particular assessment system rather than applying the same alignment criteria across different assessment designs. As a result, the framework can be adapted for a variety of assessment models, including alternate assessments, computer-adaptive tests, through-year systems and balanced assessment systems. 

The authors acknowledge that broader approaches to alignment will require new methods, greater stakeholder involvement and expanded thinking about the relationships among curriculum, instruction, professional development and assessment. They contend that these efforts are necessary if assessment systems are to fulfill their intended purpose of producing results that accurately reflect student learning and support meaningful educational decisions. 

By reframing alignment as an ongoing process of building assessment-system coherence, the framework offers a new way of thinking about how assessment programs are designed, evaluated and improved. 

Use the link below to read the article in Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice.

Nash, B., Karvonen, M., Flowers, C., Clark, A., Romine, R.S. and Bechard, S. (2026), A Comprehensive Alignment Framework for Building Coherence in an Assessment System. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 45: e70027. https://doi.org/10.1111/emip.70027