As school systems grow, assessment management becomes increasingly complex.

National Heritage Academies (NHA) serves more than 65,000 students across 100+ schools in 9 states. Managing assessments at that scale requires more than a strong platform. It requires consistent processes, state-specific flexibility, and a trusted partner that can adapt alongside the organization.

Since adopting Edcite in 2018, NHA has built an assessment management system designed to do exactly that. What began as a search for a state-aligned digital assessment platform has evolved into a long-term partnership that continues to support NHA’s changing instructional and operational needs.

Building an Assessment Management System Across 9 States

Managing assessments across multiple states presents unique challenges. Each state has its own standards, testing requirements, and assessment expectations.

To support this complexity, NHA’s Curriculum & Instruction teams create and manage common assessments used throughout the network, from weekly checks for understanding to larger interim assessments that monitor student growth and proficiency.

Edcite helps NHA:

• Organize assessments by state, grade level, and subject area
• Align questions to state-specific standards
• Manage assessment distribution across the network
• Deliver digital assessment experiences that reflect state testing environments

Today, Edcite supports nearly 5,000 assessments created by NHA.

This centralized approach allows NHA to maintain consistency across more than 100 schools while still meeting the unique requirements of each state.

Creating a Familiar Testing Experience

As states shifted toward online testing, NHA wanted to ensure technology would not become a barrier to demonstrating student learning.

Rather than relying heavily on separate state test practice platforms, students regularly interact with similar tools, question types, and digital workflows throughout the school year.

As Sarah Vogel, M.Ed., Director of Academic Operations for Curriculum & Instruction at NHA, explains:

“Taking the state test feels like taking any other assessment that students take throughout the school year.”

By creating a familiar testing experience, NHA helps reduce technology barriers and allows students to focus on demonstrating what they know.

Why Partnership Matters for Assessment Management

Managing nearly 5,000 assessments across 100+ schools requires more than a one-time implementation.

State requirements evolve. Assessment strategies change. New technologies emerge. Organizational priorities shift.

Over the past eight years, NHA and Edcite have worked together to adapt to those changes while maintaining a consistent assessment experience across the network.

That partnership has helped support:

• Complex assessment workflows
• State-specific implementation needs
• Secure proprietary assessments
• Custom integration and reporting requirements
• New assessment and instructional initiatives

This collaborative approach has allowed NHA to continuously refine its assessment management practices while maintaining consistency for educators and students.

As Sarah Vogel puts it:

“The Edcite/NHA partnership has provided a quality framework and model for how we expect other vendors to partner with us.”

For NHA, successful assessment management depends not only on technology, but also on having a trusted partner committed to solving challenges and supporting long-term growth.

Looking Ahead

One recent example of this partnership is NHA’s AI-assisted grading pilot focused on constructed-response questions in ELA. The tool provides educators with AI-generated scores and actionable feedback, helping reduce grading time while delivering more consistent scoring and feedback.

Teachers participating in the pilot reported significant time savings, while NHA saw opportunities to provide more consistent scoring and more immediate feedback for students.

Following the pilot, NHA plans to expand AI-assisted grading to all grades 3-12 ELA teachers during the 2026-27 school year.

The pilot reflects NHA’s broader approach to assessment management: continuously evaluating new opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and support for educators.

What Other School Systems Can Learn from NHA

NHA’s experience highlights an important lesson: effective assessment management requires more than selecting the right platform.

As assessment programs grow, schools need systems that can adapt, scale, and evolve alongside their needs.

That requires:

• Consistent assessment experiences for students
• Flexibility to support local and state requirements
• Processes that scale across schools and grade levels
• A partner committed to continuous improvement

For NHA, that combination has helped build an assessment management system that supports more than 65,000 students across 100+ schools in 9 states.

Build an Assessment Partnership That Lasts

NHA’s story shows that effective assessment management isn’t just about choosing the right technology. It’s about building a partnership that can evolve alongside your organization as needs change.