ABSTRACT
Most monitoring systems include only a small range of outcome measures, usually emphasizing academic achievement. In many instances, the outcomes are limited to achievement tests of basic skills in reading and arithmetic. These typically comprise a small number of multiple-choice items aimed at covering the skills taught in the majority of public schools. Many teachers and educational researchers are critical of the testing technology and have called for alternative forms of assessment (Wolf, Bixby, Glenn, and Gardner, 1991). This chapter discusses some of the issues relevant to identifying the goals of schooling and selecting tests to measure them. The first section argues for monitoring that encompasses a wider range of goals, and the second section calls for monitoring that stresses equity as well as excellence in goal attainment. The next three sections discuss the validity and reliability of outcome measures, and considerations relevant to selecting tests. These sections are followed with a section describing the new forms of ‘authentic assessment’ that have been proposed as an alternative to norm-referenced, multiplechoice tests. The chapter concludes with a list of guidelines for developing a monitoring system.
