Technical issues of reliability and validity, fairness, consistency, and bias can quickly sink any attempt to measure values of a progress variable as described above, or even to develop a reasonable framework that can be supported by evidence. To ensure comparability of results across time and context, procedures are needed to (a) examine the coherence of information gathered using different formats, (b) map student performances onto the progress variables, (c) describe the structural elements of the accountability system—tasks and raters— in terms of the progress variables, and (d) establish uniform levels of system functioning, in terms of quality control indices such as reliability. Although this type of discussion can become very technical to consider, it is sufficient to keep in mind that the traditional elements of assessment standardization, such as validity/reliability studies and bias/equity studies, must be carried out to satisfy
quality control and ensure that evidence can be relied upon.