About SCALE

Student-Centered Assessment for Learning

Student-Centered Assessment for Learning or SCALE is a statewide professional learning, coaching, and technical assistance program to strengthen the capacity of teachers and leaders to design, implement, and sustain balanced (aka sensible) assessment systems that accelerate student learning. SCALE is the result of a partnership between the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), the Center for Assessment, and the RESC Alliance.

SCALE was a result of the assessment audit conducted by the CSDE pursuant to Section 1 of Public Act No. 24-93 which showed that there is a need for broad assessment literacy training and intensive coaching to help districts reflect on their assessment choices, eliminate redundant assessments, use the right assessments for the right purpose, and maximize formative assessment practices that truly support teaching and learning.

Goals of SCALE

Build upon the district assessment audits to deepen understanding of balanced assessment systems and their role in supporting learning acceleration.
Develop teacher and leader capacity through a structured, year-long professional learning process that is repeated over multiple years.
Build regional coaching and leadership infrastructure through the RESCs to sustain capacity beyond the project period.
Align the initiative with CSDE’s broader vision for teaching, learning, and assessment coherence, especially the important role of assessment for learning.