The purpose of this resource is to assist states who are interested in redesigning or reconsidering aspects of their accountability systems to better align with “next-generation” learning models designed to produce college- and career- ready outcomes for all students. Over the past several years, states have advanced critical reforms strategies to ensure that every student has access to an education that prepares them for college and career success. Among these strategies, states have developed and adopted more rigorous standards for learning and implemented summative assessments that better measure those higher standards. Now, several states, including those in CCSSO’s Innovation Lab Network, are supporting local practitioners to rethink how to redesign classroom environments to deliver better outcomes for all students. As schools and districts across the country increasingly develop models of student-centered “next-generation” learning (as described in FIGURE 1), states are considering how they can take action to support and scale these important shifts in teaching and learning. State departments of education play an important role in defining expectations for students; how those expectations are measured; and how information is used to identify, intervene, and support schools and districts as part of a coherent and “reciprocal” system of accountability.