A First Look at Khan Academy Interim Assessments

Move from measuring progress to accelerating it.

An interim assessment can tell a teacher where a student stands. What happens afterward is often less straightforward: understanding why a student is struggling, deciding what to teach next, and finding practice that meets that student’s needs.

Coming in the 2027-28 school year, Khan Academy Interim Assessments are designed to bring those steps together. The goal of these assessments isn’t just better assessment data; it’s stronger instruction, faster learning recovery, and more students reaching grade level.

A truly useful assessment system helps educators understand where a student is, why they may be struggling, and what should happen next. Khan Academy Interim Assessments are our approach to putting those questions into practice.

“The tool will not become powerful simply because it exists. The tool creates the opportunity. Intentional implementation makes it doable. Used well, [Khan Academy] can help us move toward a model where students have to think it, show it, and own it. And that is why I believe this work matters—not because it gives us more data but because it gives us a better chance to do something with it.” – Dr. Time Krieg, Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction, School City of Hobart

“The tool will not become powerful simply because it exists. The tool creates the opportunity. Intentional implementation makes it doable. Used well, [Khan Academy] can help us move toward a model where students have to think it, show it, and own it. And that is why I believe this work matters—not because it gives us more data but because it gives us a better chance to do something with it.”

– Dr. Time Krieg, Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction, School City of Hobart

From assessment results to meaningful next steps

Students take an adaptive interim assessment three times a year, with each assessment designed to fit within a single class period. Question difficulty adjusts based on student responses, helping educators understand how students are performing against grade-level expectations and how they’re growing over time.

But an answer alone doesn’t always explain what a student understands. Explain Your Thinking adds another dimension. Students have an opportunity to talk through their reasoning during an assessment and answer follow-up questions that reveal what they understand and where their thinking may have gone off track. Educators receive insights from those conversations alongside the assessment results, giving them more context for instructional decisions.

Dr. Tim Krieg, a district leader and early pilot partner, shared why making student thinking visible matters. Understanding how a student arrived at an answer can change the support that student needs. Explain Your Thinking brings that perspective into the broader assessment experience.

The connection continues after the assessment. Results inform recommended learning paths in Khan Academy, turning assessment insights into practice students can begin. Teachers review the paths before they appear in student accounts, which keeps their informed decision-making central to what students work on next.

Grade-level learning remains the priority. When students need additional support, their paths can include scaffolded or foundational content to help them move forward.

A clearer view for everyone supporting learning

The experience gives students and educators information they can put to use right away:

• Students can see their current performance, track progress as they practice, and recognize growth across assessment windows, helping them take greater ownership of their learning.
• Teachers can identify misconceptions and unfinished learning for individual students and groups, helping them decide what to reteach and where to provide additional support.
• School and district leaders can examine patterns across classrooms and schools, monitor growth, and identify where additional resources may be needed.

Together, these pieces connect assessment, instruction, practice, and progress monitoring in an ongoing learning cycle.

Khan Academy District partnerships support that work through implementation, professional learning, and ongoing help to administer assessments, interpret results, and put insights into practice.

See the experience firsthand

Join Sal Khan and the Khan Academy Assessments team on November 12 for a first look at the new experience. We’ll demonstrate how assessment insights connect to learning, share what districts can expect for the 2027–28 school year, and answer your questions.

Explore Khan Academy Interim Assessments →

Frequently asked questions

How often will students take the assessments? How long will they take?

Khan Academy Interim Assessments are designed to be administered three times a year, with each assessment completed in a single class period. Each includes 22–30 items, with difficulty adjusting in real time based on student responses.

What does the assessment experience look like for students?

Students answer questions drawn from their grade or course level, with item difficulty adapting as they progress. In-product math tools, including an accessible graphing calculator, support the experience. Khanductor, an assessment assistant, guides students through the assessment and prompts them to slow down if they appear to be rushing.

What additional insight does Explain Your Thinking provide?

Explain Your Thinking invites students to explain their reasoning about an assessment item. Follow-up questions help reveal more about their understanding. Teachers and administrators receive narrative insights from those conversations that can help distinguish misconceptions from incomplete understanding and identify patterns across students.

How are recommended learning paths selected?

Assessment results inform recommended learning paths in Khan Academy. Grade-level learning remains the priority, with scaffolded and foundational content included when students need additional support. Teachers review the paths before they appear in student accounts, and students can see their progress as they practice.

What will teachers, district leaders, and students be able to see?

Teachers can identify learning needs for individual students and their classes. District leaders can monitor performance, growth, and trends from the district down to the individual student. Students can see their current performance, track growth across assessment windows, and follow their progress toward mastery.

Which grades and subjects are planned?

For the 2027–28 school year, we anticipate offering:

• Math: Grades 6–8, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry.
• ELA: Grades 6–12.
• Math and ELA assessments for grades 3–5 are planned for 2028–29.

How will districts access the assessments?

Khan Academy Interim Assessments are planned as part of Khan Academy for Districts. Districts will purchase the Khan Academy for Districts platform, with assessments included at no additional cost in the 2027-28 school year.

What support will districts receive?

Khan Academy will partner with districts on implementation, professional learning, and ongoing support to help educators get started, understand assessment results, and put insights into practice.