ABSTRACT
This chapter starts from the assumption that assessment is essential to effective education in a number of ways. It was produced by a policy task group working for the British Educational Research Association (BERA) in 1992, in response to criticisms of the existing assessment arrangements being implemented following the 1988 Education Act. It sets out its own proposals for alternative ways of providing national assessments of learning in schools, matched to a range of different purposes. We think that this chapter offers a framework for examining national curriculum ‘testing’ as it evolves; allowing us to ask questions such as: For what purpose is this assessment being carried out? Is this the best form of assessment for that purpose? How much and which parts of the curriculum does it assess? How clear is this made to parents and others reading the results? What is its likely effect on the curriculum? How far is it diagnostic, thus supporting improvements in teaching? If it is to judge the effectiveness of schools, how far is it responsive to the local context in which learning is taking place?
