COMBINING MEASUREMENT-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION WITH AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT - SOME INITIAL OBSERVATIONS OF NATIONAL ASSESSMENT IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Recently assessment has been singled out as a key mechanism for monito ring and intervening in the educational process. In particular, claims are being made that new forms of assessment will be able to drive tea ching and learning in more positive ways than was originally associate d with narrower testing programs. This note reports on initial evidenc e from the National Assessment in England and Wales and highlights a n umber of problems in implementing new approaches to assessment in the context of national testing.