ABSTRACT
History/social studies assessment practices are dominated by a very narrow range of tools, such as multiple-choice tests and document-based questions. In framing issues of assessment design, it is important to first consider the nature of the K-12 educator and university educator/researcher divide. Bruce VanSledright and colleagues offer a clear contrast of institutional factors that affect the work-lives and perspectives of these two groups. That contrast has clear implications for how members of each group work with and think about assessment design and the data assessments yield. Teachers tend to be more concerned with student development and are pressed to grade assessments quickly, but will see multiple examples of student work over the course of a year. There is much to be gained from a more collaborative approach to assessment design that includes expertise in the area of disciplinary thinking, as well as the expertise of classroom teachers.
