Are My Benchmark Assessments Predictive or Descriptive? A Checklist for District Leaders
Most benchmark assessments function as a rearview mirror, reporting on a student’s past performance. Predictive benchmark assessments, however, act as a GPS. They use high-validity data to forecast how students will perform on end-of-course assessments while there’s still time to adjust instruction and help students close gaps.
Descriptive benchmarks show you what students know today. However, they don’t always fully align with the rigor of state tests, making it harder for educators to confidently predict how students will perform on the state test.
Predictive benchmarks show you what students know today and project how they’ll perform months from now on high-stakes assessments. Teachers know which students need support and on which standards, allowing for proactive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.
How to evaluate your current benchmark assessments
Download the checklist below to evaluate your current assessment process or assessment management system. If you find yourself answering "No" to more than a few, you might miss data, efficiency for administrators and educators, or time to pivot instruction and help students close their knowledge gaps.
The checklist covers topics from validity and timeliness to equity and integration, giving you a holistic picture of the strengths and gaps in your current benchmark assessments.
What predictive benchmark assessments make possible
Backed by multi-state validity research, Mastery Predictive Assessments (MPAs) predict student performance with a validity coefficient that consistently meets or exceeds the industry standard for trustworthy predictions of 0.70. The 2025 validity report demonstrated that MPAs correctly identified student proficiency on state tests 84% of the time in grades 3–8 and 82% in high school.
Because every student’s journey is unique, we designed assessments to accurately predict performance across all populations. The research spans diverse contexts across five states, so you can trust the data to be a reliable indicator for every student in your district.
Close the assessment-to-action loop
Mastery Predictive Assessments are designed to close the gap between data and action. With high-validity, predictive insights, you remove the friction that keeps teachers from doing what they do best: teaching.
Stop looking at what happened and start seeing what’s possible for every student with Mastery Predictive Assessments.
