Accountability for student achievement is required by legislation and demanded by the public. Testing is the method of choice for determining student achievement and for informing teachers, parents and students about what students know and still need to learn. State tests that meet the demands of federal legislation have far-reaching consequences that affect students and their families and well as teachers and their schools. Educators are pressed to find ways to bolster student achievement and to best prepare students to succeed on state tests. Interim assessments are used in many school systems to gauge student progress and make predictions about student outcomes on high-stake state tests. This study looks at the validity and reliability of a southeastern school system's interim assessments by determining whether there is a correlation between students' results on the interim assessments and the state assessments in eighth grade mathematics. Mathematics is the focus of this study because mathematics is the most pronounced area of weakness. Eighth grade was chosen because failure to master eighth grade mathematics can cause students to be delayed from entry into high school. In addition to determining whether there was a correlation between the results of the two types of tests, surveys sought to determine educators' perceptions of the interim tests. The surveys were sent to all eighth grade mathematics teachers and middle school principals for 2011 and 2012 to ascertain both their views of the interim tests and how the results were used to prepare students for the state assessments. Principals' and teachers' views are compared in this study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]