To address project objectives, SCILLSS is organized into six phases that contribute to the development of state-specific and generalizable deliverables. Phase timelines overlap significantly across the 48-month project period. Collaboration is a key aspect of each SCILLSS project phase. This includes interstate collaboration; collaboration among state and local educators; collaboration among measurement practitioners and front-line educators to target all aspects of assessment implementation; and state collaboration with independent technical support providers.
- Phase 1 includes project management activities to ensure that SCILLSS is managed appropriately.
- Phase 2 includes needs assessments to gather important information about the status and characteristics of state and local assessment systems.
- Phase 3 involves the creation of a Theory of Action and validity evaluation framework that can be tailored to specific assessment types and contexts.
- Phase 4 focuses on the intra-assessment examination of PLDs, task models, items, and blueprints and the creation of large-scale assessment design and development tools that target standards-based concepts and skills.
- Phase 5 involves the creation of classroom-based evidence and tools to support effective interpretations and uses of large-scale assessment results.
- Phase 6 involves project evaluation and reporting to evaluate states’ progress, guide next steps, and provide useful reports.