Balanced Assessment Suite Overview

What is Balanced Assessment Suite? 

Newsela's Balanced Assessment Suite includes everything a district needs to connect daily instruction with district-wide assessments and data, driving smarter instruction and stronger alignment. 

It includes Formative, Newsela's assessment platform, and the core of a strong assessment framework, along with a variety of other features and available services. 

Educators can create and deliver reliable, standards-aligned assessments—from quick classroom checks to district-wide exams—to ensure consistent student progress. 

Real-time assessment data, from classroom checks to district-level exams, is centralized in one platform, so educators can make confident, timely decisions that keep learners on track. 

Additionally, teachers receive robust instructional tools, shared resources, and real-time insights to deliver engaging instruction that meets the needs of every student, every day of the school year.


Why you'll love it 

Newsela’s Balanced Assessment Suite lets you accelerate student learning with one collaborative assessment platform—connect classroom and district insights to drive smarter instruction and stronger alignment.

What is included?

  • Formative School & District license (previously Formative Gold)
    Administer classroom assessments, deliver data-informed instruction, and provide targeted feedback—all in one place to accelerate student growth.
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  • Item Bank
    ​Use the Item Bank to create high-quality, standards-aligned assessments with pre-made items for Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies. Customize questions easily, then view detailed item-level performance on standards, questions, and item types.
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  • Respondus LockDown Browser
    Create a secure testing environment with three levels of security. Block application switching, printing, screen captures, and copying/pasting to ensure exam integrity.
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  • Translations
    Instantly translates activity text into 30+ languages, supporting multilingual students in real time.
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  • Add-on Services
    Additional services are available for Balanced Assessment Suite customers. Check with your Formative Customer Success Manager to learn more about:

    • Consultative Implementation Services

      Consultative Implementation Services (CIS) is a structured onboarding service that helps districts implement common district interm assessments by guiding them through strategic milestones, ensuring a smooth first assessment administration. A dedicated project manager will work closely with your district to:

      • Align Formative setup with your district assessment goals.

      • Ensure the application is configured for smooth implementation.

      • Support the creation and administration of common assessments.

      • Conduct a systems check to prevent technical issues.

      • Host a review meeting after the first administration to refine processes.

    • Custom Assessment Services
      Custom Assessment Services (CAS) puts our content team at your service. They’ll develop custom assessments tailored to your school or district’s needs. Each assessment item is tagged to a core subject standard of your choosing, whether at the state, national, or framework level.
      Each assessment includes a set number of questions or tasks aligned with your standards, and the number of items per assessment is determined collaboratively with you based on the administrative time and learning objectives.

Ready to capture insights in every classroom to meet students' needs district wide? Click here to learn more or use this link to request a quote !