We put assessment to work in the service of learning. Assessment is not separate from good instruction, but an integral process for gathering evidence and making meaning.”
Trusted
Leadership
We bring deep experience advising technical and policy bodies, bridging research, regulation, and practice to help leaders navigate complexity with credibility and confidence.
Systems
Perspective
We approach assessment as part of broader instructional, political, and institutional ecosystems, ensuring strategic decisions are coherent, durable, and aligned across contexts.
Selective
Engagement
Lyons Assessment Consulting maintains a limited number of advisory partnerships each year to ensure depth, discretion, and sustained executive-level attention.
November 2025
Lyons Assessment Consulting, WCEPS, and KnowledgeWorks explore how to evaluate the quality of innovative assessments that promote deeper learning in their new report, “Evaluating Technical Quality in the Context of Assessment Innovation.” The publication offers a case study, policy insights, and a call to rethink federal peer review processes, as part of The K12 Research for Equity Hub led by EduDream.
October 2025
Charlie DePascale and Susan Lyons discuss key insights from Fundamentals and Flaws of Standards-Based Testing, reflecting on lessons from three decades in large-scale state testing and their implications for the future of educational assessment.
September 2025
Lyons Assessment Consulting and UCLA CRESST, with support from Unwind Media, explored whether online Solitaire gameplay on Solitaired.com can serve as a scalable, engaging tool for cognitive assessment. Analyzing data from over 3,500 players, the study found that mean move time and age were the strongest predictors of performance on validated cognitive tests. The results highlight online Solitaire’s potential as a platform for large-scale, inclusive cognitive assessment, while underscoring the importance of continued validation and careful score interpretation.
June 2025
This week, our Research Associate, Samuel Ihlenfeldt, presented with colleagues and partners Kirsten Taylor Carr, Cedar Rose, and Zachary Warner at CCSSO’s National Conference on Student Assessment. They discussed innovation in state assessment and pathways for improving the federal peer review process. Congratulations on an engaging and impactful presentation!
