Digital Promise moves science assessment into the classroom with ATLAS launch
Digital Promise has announced the launch of ATLAS, a free science platform built around NGSS-aligned performance tasks, with the organization sharing details of the release on LinkedIn as it expands its work on assessment for learning in K–12 classrooms.
Digital Promise has launched ATLAS, a new online platform designed to help K–12 science teachers integrate performance-based tasks directly into everyday instruction.
The organization took to LinkedIn to announce the release, describing ATLAS as a free, teacher-centered resource focused on real-world science learning rather than end-of-unit testing. The platform is built to support educators working with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), where students are expected to learn science by doing science.
Non-profit Digital Promise works globally with educators, researchers, policymakers, and technology organizations to design and scale learning innovations, with a long-standing focus on equity, access, and evidence-based practice.
Performance tasks replace traditional assessment models
At the core of ATLAS are performance tasks, a form of assessment that asks students to investigate real-world phenomena or solve authentic problems. Rather than recalling isolated facts, students are required to apply science and engineering practices, disciplinary knowledge, and crosscutting concepts together.
Digital Promise positions these tasks as both instructional tools and assessment instruments. Student outputs, such as models, written explanations, arguments, or data analyses, are intended to make thinking visible and provide teachers with actionable insight into student understanding.
Tasks are tagged by grade band and NGSS dimensions, allowing educators to filter by Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts.
Classroom-ready tasks designed with teachers
According to Digital Promise, most ATLAS tasks have been developed in collaboration with classroom teachers to ensure they are practical and usable within real teaching constraints. Many tasks include scoring guidance, student work samples, and teacher-facing notes.
Tasks span a wide range of science domains and formats. Examples available on the platform include students designing water filtration systems to explore pollution, analyzing chromosomal data in genetics, modeling forces to improve helmet safety, and applying biological principles through biomimicry challenges.
The platform also emphasizes adaptability. Most tasks are provided as editable documents, allowing teachers to customize content for linguistic, cultural, and contextual relevance, particularly for multilingual learners and historically underserved students.
Assessment for learning, not just accountability
Digital Promise frames ATLAS as a response to the limitations of traditional assessment systems, where testing often sits apart from instruction. Performance tasks within ATLAS are intended to be used across short, medium, and long instructional cycles, from eliciting prior knowledge to supporting mid-unit adjustments and longer-term evaluation.
The organization highlights that this approach aligns with the NGSS focus on sensemaking, coherence, and equity. Teachers are encouraged to use student work as evidence to guide feedback, scaffolding, and next instructional steps, rather than relying solely on summative scores.
Digital Promise also provides guidance on embedding tasks into coherent assessment systems and using collaborative reflection to inform teaching practice.
In announcing the launch, Digital Promise shared feedback from teachers involved in the platform’s development.
“ATLAS is going to be helpful to a lot of teachers. It seems like a lot of education websites don’t take teachers into account when it comes to organizing or structuring the lessons or what to focus on. I’m glad we get to have our voices heard and utilized.”
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