Over a two-year period, the teachers at John Adams Middle School wrote and administered eight common assessments across content areas and met to discuss the results of each. By linking standards, assessments, and instruction, teachers were able to identify areas of need for specific students and address those needs. Educators across the country are talking about the state standards and the ways in which they are assessed. It's hard to imagine a teacher, student administrator, or parent who hasn't been touched by adequate yearly process. Interestingly educators are also realizing that the definition of proficient and the percentage of students that must be proficient vary widely across the country. As a profession we need systems to ensure that standards are linked with the assessments and the instruction students received. (Contains 1 figure.)