RESEARCHERS AND ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT - A CAUTIONARY TALE

Major attention has been given to establishing a national policy on ed ucational standards and assessments. This article presents detail abou t background events culminating in public decision making by the Natio nal Council on Education Standards and Testing. Explanations for their deliberations were based on the ascendance of new approaches to asses sment and the emergence of two classes of assessment experts: advocate s and researchers. The article illustrates how experts in these roles have differential effect on educational reform.