Illinois advanced landmark reforms in recent years to improve instruction for its 2 million students. Built upon the bedrock of new, rigorous Common Core State Standards, Illinois education leaders stepped up student expectations, championed educator evaluations intended to provide feedback and improve instruction, redesigned school report cards to put key information in the hands of families, and intensified efforts to improve struggling schools and the students they serve. The next step is putting in place a new generation of assessments that will measure whether students have the knowledge, skills, and understanding to succeed in an ever-changing world. This report highlights an example of how two school districts created an aligned system of instruction and assessment during the past decade with teachers at the table and students at the heart of instructional decisions.