This paper presents three stories from states that are undertaking this work: Virginia, California, and Texas. All three states are activating promising ideas, practices, and policies with an emphasis on developing new systems of assessment that focus on local participation in design and development. Taken together, these states offer important early lessons and guideposts for other states. The paper highlights both the commonalities across the three states in the types of new assessments they are introducing and how they are introducing them, and the differences among the states in how they are building political will and developing scale-up plans, including the policies to sustain the changes.