Strategy: Measuring Success

When: Strategy

Getting Smart Resources

To Fully Realize Horizon Three, We Need New Accountability Systems

This Getting Smart resource examines the relationship between ambitious, future-focused educational goals—referred to as “Horizon Three” innovation—and the accountability structures needed to support them. It argues that current standards and assessment systems are misaligned with the kinds of deeper learning, competency development, and whole-child outcomes that transformative education demands, and that meaningful innovation cannot scale without corresponding shifts in how schools measure and report success. The resource offers practitioners and school leaders a framework for thinking critically about how accountability can evolve from compliance-driven metrics toward systems that genuinely reflect the outcomes schools should be pursuing. For those leading or advocating for learning redesign, this piece matters because it names a structural barrier that often goes unaddressed—without new accountability systems, Horizon Three aspirations risk remaining theoretical rather than becoming embedded practice.

New Metrics for Success

New Metrics for Success” from Getting Smart is a resource that challenges traditional assessment frameworks by examining how schools and systems can move beyond standardized test scores to measure what students actually need to thrive in a complex world. It explores alternative indicators of success such as competency development, social-emotional growth, civic engagement, and learner agency, offering practitioners and leaders practical perspectives on redefining what counts as meaningful progress. The resource draws on examples from innovative schools and districts that have redesigned their measurement systems to align with broader learning goals. For education leaders undertaking transformation work, this matters because misaligned metrics are one of the most significant barriers to sustaining innovation — when schools are still held accountable to narrow measures, deeper learning approaches struggle to take root and scale.

How Championing Data Can Contribute to Sustainability

KnowledgeWorks
This resource from KnowledgeWorks examines how strategic use of data can support the long-term sustainability of learning innovation initiatives within schools and districts. It offers practitioners and school leaders practical guidance on identifying, collecting, and leveraging meaningful metrics that demonstrate the value and impact of innovative programs over time. Rather than treating measurement as a compliance exercise, the resource positions data as a tool for building stakeholder confidence, securing ongoing investment, and making informed decisions that keep transformation efforts alive beyond initial implementation. For educators working to sustain change amid shifting priorities and limited resources, this resource provides a framework for making the case that innovation is working and worth continuing.

How Can You Measure a School’s Success? It’s Not Just Through Test Scores

EdWeek
This EdWeek resource examines how schools and districts can move beyond standardized test scores to adopt broader, more meaningful measures of school success. It explores alternative and complementary indicators such as student well-being, engagement, graduation pathways, attendance, and social-emotional development, offering school leaders a more holistic framework for evaluating institutional performance. The resource is particularly relevant for practitioners and leaders working to redefine accountability in ways that better reflect the full range of student outcomes and school health. For those driving learning innovation, it provides a conceptual and practical foundation for making the case to stakeholders that success metrics must evolve alongside changing educational priorities. Rethinking how success is measured is foundational to sustaining systemic transformation, as the data schools track ultimately shapes what educators value and invest in.

Rubric for CBE Implementation of Aurora CBE Framework

Solution Tree
The Rubric for CBE Implementation of the Aurora CBE Framework, published by Solution Tree, is a structured assessment tool designed to help educators and school leaders evaluate the fidelity and progress of competency-based education implementation within their schools or districts. It provides clearly defined performance indicators aligned to the Aurora Institute’s CBE framework, allowing practitioners to identify where they are in their implementation journey across key dimensions of a competency-based system. By offering a common language and measurable criteria, the rubric supports teams in diagnosing gaps, setting priorities, and making evidence-informed decisions about next steps. For leaders driving education transformation, this resource matters because it moves CBE implementation from abstract aspiration to concrete, actionable self-assessment, grounding systemic change in measurable outcomes rather than good intentions.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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