Assessment Learning Network Series

Note: to register for a Season Pass (and save money!), click the button at right. To register for individual sessions, click the session title in the content below. (Individual registration will be available starting mid-May.)

The Assessment Learning Network (ALN) is a professional learning community open to educators and policymakers committed to improving student learning through effective use of high-quality, balanced assessment systems.

2026-27 ALN Series Theme: Designing and Implementing Competency-Based Assessment Systems

How do we move from coverage and compliance to learning and student agency—shifting from grading tasks to gathering meaningful evidence of what students know and can do?

How do students demonstrate mastery of competencies to then move along their learning trajectory?

How might competency-based assessment practices and systems develop agency in all students?

This five-part series supports educators, leaders, and teams in designing and implementing competency-based assessment systems that center student agency, deeper learning, and high-quality evidence. Grounded in MAC’s Components of an Equitable Assessment System (CEAS), participants will explore instructional shifts, formative and summative assessment practices, and reporting structures that make learning visible and actionable.

This series will draw from the rich research and body of knowledge related to:

• MACs CEAS document,
• FAME definition of the Formative Assessment Process,
• literature on rigor and depth of knowledge,
• the need for quality performance assessments, and
• the impact of student agency on learner growth.

Schedule at a glance:
Note: The September and May events will be held in person and will include a networking luncheon. November, January, and March are webinar format.

• September 30, 2026 – Foundations of Competency-Based Education, with Virgel Hammonds
• November 11, 2026 – Formative Assessment as the Engine of Learning, with MAC leaders
• January 27, 2027 – Rethinking Summative Assessment & Performance Assessment, with Karin Hess
• March 16, 2027 – Grading, Reporting, and Demonstrating Learning, with Matt Townsley
• May 5, 2027 – Practitioner Stories: Practice, Progress, and Possibility, Participant implementation stories

Registration for the full series is $315 (reflects a 10% discount)