Revitalizing Classroom Assessment The Highest Instructional Priority

RICHARD J. STIGGINS is director of the Center for Performance Assessment, North west Regional Educational Laboratory, Port land, Ore. ments, and of measurement-driven in struction, we are again failing to address the central issue in school assessment: in suring the quality and appropriate use of teacher-directed assessments of student achievement used every day in class rooms from coast to coast. Classroom as sessments are the tools teachers use to de termine whether the pace of instruction is appropriate and whether their instruc tional objectives have been met. They are the assessments that determine to a large extent what grades students receive and Classroom assessment requires a great deal of time and effort; teachers may spend as much as 40% of their time directly involved in assessment-related activities. Yet teachers are nei ther trained nor prepared to face this demanding task, says Mr. Stiggins.