For Maryland, complying with NCLB meant overhauling its assessment system. Bound by tight time constraints, Maryland had little choice but to start with "off-the-shelf" tests for grades 3–8 in reading and mathematics and for grade 10 in reading. The state, however, determined from the start that it would augment the commercial tests to ensure they matched the content in the state standards.

Maryland first asked Achieve to provide criteria to judge how well each potential contractor's tests measured the state's standards. Once the state chose its contractors, Achieve reviewed all the tests, identifying gaps in alignment and suggesting ways they could be closed. Achieve then reviewed the augmented tests to determine how successful the augmentation efforts were and made recommendations for improving the state's next round of tests. As a result, Maryland now has a set of tests that are strongly aligned to its standards.

Maryland also developed a set of end-of-course exams that high school students will need to pass to graduate. The state then participated in Achieve's comparative analysis of state graduation exams to see whether it had set the bar at the right level. When the state board of education was preparing to vote on making the graduation tests mandatory, Maryland asked Achieve to present the results of the exit exam analysis to the board. The findings gave the board the confidence to move ahead.