Advances in technology have made it possible for states to share test items, significantly reducing costs to develop and administer federally-mandated state assessments. A number of states are entering into test item sharing agreements (or have plans to) with other states. In addition, some states are standardizing on one platform to support both summative state tests and benchmark assessments, creating item banks that facilitate teacher collaboration and reduce costs. All of these developments bring potentially powerful benefits but also present some challenges, which we explore as a panel and with you, the audience: creating sharing agreements with other states, ensuring assessment content portability through standards requirements and certification, and working with your vendors/suppliers.
