Building a Comprehensive Assessment System: A Conversation on Innovation & the Future

At Teaching Strategies, we believe that innovation thrives when vision meets expertise. That’s why I’m excited to introduce Dr. Tammy Kwan, who joins us as a Vice President of Product at Teaching Strategies. Dr. Kwan was previously the co-founder and CEO of Cognitive ToyBox (CTB), a company we welcomed into our ecosystem in 2024. Under her leadership, CTB built a suite of game-based assessments designed to provide educators with real-time insights into student learning, making it a natural fit for our mission at Teaching Strategies. Now, as we integrate our efforts, Dr. Kwan will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the assessment part of our ecosystem.

In this blog post, I interview Dr. Kwan about her transition to Teaching Strategies, the integration and evolution of CTB to GOLDFinch, and her thoughts on the future of assessment in early childhood education.

Dr. Nicol Russell (Chief Academic Officer): Tammy, welcome to Teaching Strategies! You built an incredible company with CTB, and now you’re helping lead product innovation here. What excites you most about this transition?

Dr. Tammy Kwan (Vice President of Product): Thank you, Nicol! I’m thrilled to be joining Teaching Strategies at such a pivotal time. What excites me most is the opportunity to integrate what we built at CTB into a larger, more comprehensive ecosystem. Our product was designed to empower educators, and now, with the resources and reach of Teaching Strategies, we can scale that impact in ways we never could before.

Nicol: With this integration, how do you see our combined efforts benefiting customers?

Tammy: One of the biggest advantages is that our customers will now have access to a more seamless experience. Instead of using multiple, disconnected tools, with the different sources of data in silos, they’ll benefit from an integrated solution that supports their work more efficiently. We’re not just adding another product: we’re strengthening the entire ecosystem to provide deeper insights; more meaningful data; and, ultimately, better outcomes for educators and the children they serve.

Nicol: I’d like to take a moment right now to be clear with our readers what we are talking about here. Historically, educators have been able to use GOLD to collect observational data about children’s learning and development. Now, with the addition of CTB and its evolution to GOLDFinch, Teaching Strategies can offer educators a way to get direct assessment data from children. Tell us more about this powerful addition.

Tammy: That’s exactly right, Nicol. Direct student assessment builds upon GOLD, strengthening educators’ understanding of each child’s development as well as unlocking new insights into how to best support their classroom. This balanced approach to assessment aligns with assessment research, including guidance from the National Academies.

Nicol:  Can you expand on your comments, Tammy? How does GOLDFinch improve what Teaching Strategies was already doing?

Tammy: Children are now able to directly interact with developmentally appropriate, game-based assessments that measure what they know and can do. The data is then seamlessly integrated into GOLD, automatically feeding assessment for about 30% of the GOLD objectives for learning and development while reducing the number of observational assessments required by educators. And here is the best part—it is fully compatible with our broader SmartTeach ecosystem, helping to drive intentional teaching experiences and individualized lesson planning on a weekly basis. That means educators get more information to help them plan more responsive teaching for each child.

Nicol: You mention “developmentally appropriate practice.” Can you say more about how GOLDFinch is appropriate for young children?

Tammy: On the technical side, the direct student assessment is delivered through a touchscreen experience, which is more developmentally appropriate than a computer and mouse. The child-facing assessment is game-based—which helps put children at ease—and is intentionally brief. This ensures that children spend less time in front of a screen and more time engaged in high-quality interactions with educators that help drive their development. On the pedagogical side, I would say every digital interaction offered through GOLDFinch helps to support real-world adult-child interactions. GOLDFinch honors early childhood educators as professionals, empowering them with actionable data to inform high-quality teaching at both the class- and child-level.

Nicol: Is there a particular benefit to offering GOLDFinch during the pre-K year that stands out to you?

Tammy: I think the transition from pre-K to kindergarten is such an important time for children and for educators. Not only does the classroom environment change, but educators start to use more direct assessments with children. So, I think introducing GOLDFinch to pre-K children can provide them with some familiarity and confidence in completing game-based assessments. Also, with the growing emphasis on the science of reading, I am especially excited about our new pre-K and kindergarten gamified assessment and screener for literacy, which can offer educators, states, and policymakers deeper insights into how to support both children and teachers in this pivotal stage of development.

Nicol: As you look to the future, what are you most interested in as it relates to early childhood assessment?

Tammy: As we look to the future of early childhood assessment, I am most interested in how we can make assessments more meaningful and actionable for both educators and families. The field is evolving, and we have an opportunity to move beyond traditional models to create systems that truly support every child’s development.

Nicol: Bringing Dr. Kwan onto our team is an exciting step forward as we continue to innovate and expand. Her experience, vision, and deep understanding of our industry will be invaluable as we continue to work toward our mission. With the addition of GOLDFinch, we’re strengthening the way you measure and report on children’s development. And this isn’t just about growth—it’s a smarter, more integrated way to help you achieve maximum impact with even greater ease. We like to say, “it’s everything you love, with even more value.»