When Ohio asked Achieve to review its standards, assessment and accountability practices in 1999, it started a longstanding partnership that has strengthened the state's reform efforts.

Achieve's initial review included specific strategies to adopt more rigorous standards, align assessments with the new standards and improve the accountability system. Since then, Ohio has developed a new set of significantly improved standards, which Achieve helped to shape.

The state also created a new Ohio Graduation Test, which students in the class of 2007 must pass. After students scored poorly on the initial administration of the test, the state was concerned that the new test may present unreasonable expectations. State officials asked Achieve to review a subsequent version of the test and compare it with similar tests in other states. Achieve's comparative analysis of exit exams showed that the Ohio test was not overly demanding. These findings built political support for the test, and ultimately the state board approved it.