This article presents the authors' response to the commentaries on their article. They focus on two important issues raised by most of the reviewers: (a) the curricular dependence of the proposed learning progression and the daunting (twin) challenges of bringing about changes in curriculum and assessment and consolidating and validating the…

Instructionally supportive accountability tests (a) measure students' mastery of only a modest number of extraordinarily important curricular aims; (b) describe what is to be assessed in clear, teacher-palatable language; and (c) report each student's results for every curricular aim assessed. To determine the suitability of such assessments to…