The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) requires assessment-based innovations. Student academic assessment data derived by NCLB requirements can be an informative resource in helping classroom teachers and school administrators diagnose student learning needs. The current NCLB accountability policies implicitly assume that the availability of student academic assessment data will inform teachers, administrators, parents, as well as policy makers about student performance and initiate changes in educational practice. The present paper addresses the issue of using academic assessment results and presents an example based on the balanced assessment system as an assessment-based innovation.