ABSTRACT
The basic rationale tor using product assessment in evaluating student outcomes in programs for the gifted lies in the recognition of the importance of using valid assessments to measure student achievement. That is, a significant proportion of the goals and objectives that appropriately represent elevated expectations for gifted students cannot be assessed validly by traditional paper-and-pencil tests. The process of planning and implementing instruction must be looked at as a cyclical process rather than a linear one, with the results of one instructional cycle forming the basis tor the next set of decision making. Product assessment most often is viewed as the summative or cumulative assessment of student outcomes. The reliability of an instrument used to assess a product is the degree to which the scores on the measure are consistent. Even formative assessments that are informal and brief can provide reliable and valid information.
