Performance Assessment: The Message from England.

All the world has become inter ested in performance assess ment. It is now agreed, even in the U.S.A.. the home of multiplechoice tests, that such tests do not measure all the important aspects of learning, especially higher-order thinking and practical skills. In England, where performance assess ment is not new. there is little doubt that this form of evaluation can improve teaching and learning. Never theless, many practical tasks are being dropped from national examinations to simplify the process and save money. Let's look back in time to understand why the trend toward authentic forms of assessment went into reverse.