It focuses on student outcomes views learning as a continuum provides a common language and framework provides common and agreed levels and standards of achievement provides a clear assessment focus. One cannot have quality assessment or quality learning without knowing what students need to know and be able to do. This cycle of assessment will be continued for several reasons. What we know as teachers is that assessment is essentially provisional. It is rarely a single event.
Assessment is exploratory, tentative, and incomplete.
The pilot experience indicated that teachers needed to think more about what and how they were assessing rather than assess more often than was happening in their classrooms. When collecting information about students' progress, some believe it is important to ensure the information is gathered during the normal classroom contacts, routines and contexts. They argue this information can portray the students' true capabilities and provide abundant data for determining students' progress. Others believe various assessment practices have their individual strengths and that using a range of practices balances out strengths and weaknesses. If teachers want to review their ideas and assessment practices the following suggestions may be helpful.