For more than a decade, public policy related to the use of assessment in education has been in constant flux, reflecting ever-changing theoretical and political perspectives regarding teaching and learning. Current uses of assessment as public policy tool reflect an earlier understanding of the relationship between assessment and learning, and have not incorporated more recent research related to that relationship. Building on our existing relationships with major policy makers in the state of Colorado (Legislators, Commissioner of Education, Governor’s Policy Advisor), we work to craft a different foundation for the use of educational assessment as a policy tool in the state.