This article reports on 4 distinct Illinois reform initiatives that attempted to connect assessment to curriculum, instruction, and school improvement. Using quantitative and qualitative data obtained from principals and teachers involved in local reform efforts from 1993 through 2002, this study indicates that the lack of development of local educator assessment literacy skills limited policy effectiveness. The 1985-1990 School Improvement Plan and Learner Assessment Plan mandated accountability measures, and the 1991-1995 Quality Review process intensified regulatory mechanisms to ensure local compliance. The 1996-2000 Quality Assurance and Improvement Process (QAIP) attempted to reverse the regulatory pressures of accountability with an alternative development approach, and the 2000-2004 Standards-Aligned Classroom (SAC) initiative continued this developmental approach with the significant difference of specifically focusing on classroom alignment and assessment literacy. In response to No Child Left Behind accountability pressures, QAIP was discontinued and SAC was redefined as a coercive regulatory instrument for "failed schools." These Illinois school reform policies demonstrate that building local capacity for effective local assessment is a complex, long-term, collaborative endeavor, not a quickly engineered external solution.