Three states create one assessment test.

In the first alliance of its kind, three separate states-Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont--developed one reading and math assessment exam. The New England Common Assessment Program got its start in Rhode Island, when the Department of Education grew concerned about the cost of expanding its assessment, which evaluated only one grade. Rhode Island reached out to other New England states and in early 2002, began to collaborate with New Hampshire and Vermont.

The first, and perhaps most time-consuming, step was unifying all three states' math and language arts standards. At the same time, the states figured out what type of assessment they wanted. Along the way, they hired Measured Progress, a test developer in Dover, N.H.

"Based on our previous work with state consortiums, I thought it would be a problem to get all three states to agree on anything," says Stuart Kahl, CEO of Measured Progress. To Kahl's delight, however, the states easily agreed on shared content standards and grade-level expectations.

This fall, third- through eighth-grade students in all three states took the test. "It went really well, considering it was the first time with a new testing system," says Elliot Krieger of the R.I. Dept. of Ed.

Michael L. Hock, director of assessment for the Vermont education department, is equally pleased. "Initially, we did this to save money," he says. "As a small state, it would be daunting to create a custom-designed assessment at all those levels with the available resources."

Hock was particularly impressed with both the level of teacher involvement and the commitment to making the test accessible to everyone. After teachers from all three states established the grade-level expectations, they reviewed every test question. "We considered all the different students and made choices that would be right for everyone, including fonts, the amount of white space, the right graphics for students with visual impairments," says Hock.

www.ed.state.nh.us, www.state.vt.us/educ/, www.ridoe.net/, www.measuredprogress.org

RELATED ARTICLE: A highly qualified teacher in every classroom.

Since NCLB was passed, the Department of Education has collected and analyzed data on teacher accountability. Here are some of the findings:

5 states--Calif., Fla., N.J., N.Y., and Texas--produce 38% of the nation's teachers.

39 states require a content-specific bachelor's degree for at least one of their initial certificates.

15 states still have no content area bachelor's degree requirements for any of their initial certificates or licenses.

3.5% of teachers are on waivers.

20 teacher education programs are designated as low performing, down from 25 in 2003.

Source U.S. Department of Education, 2005