Summary of worries revealed in this Education Week article (posted below):

1. High expectations for these national assessments may outpace the ability of states to pay for the technology required to administer them.

2. Both of the consortia have to provide — for each tested grade level and course — benchmark assessments (a.k.a., periodic, formative) and summative assessments (a.k.a. finals).

3. The consortia are worried that the tight timelines set by the feds won’t allow for well-done piloting of the assessments.

4. Both consotia have to create formative and summative assessments that are of equal content and difficulty and which can be taken by all types of students.

5. The national assessments were originally intended to save states money, but the federal grants contain no money for administering the assessments.

6. States are beginning to figure this out and are worried they will be left with national assessments they cannot afford to implement.