1 Possessing knowledge does not ensure that it can be applied in new contexts. You can see other examples of constructivist student assessment in the recent book Assessment as Inquiry . The goal of such assessment is to educate students for our society in the most profound sense. 4 The stakes are high. Newman and Wehlage's research analyzed the achievement results of high school students in relation to the amount of authentic instruction provided.
Technology offers additional promise for recording data and reporting student learning.
Both SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning and the Center for Innovative Learning Technologies are researching the use of assessment software applications on handheld devices such as Palm Pilots. We have field-tested an application that can be used by teachers or students aimed at helping them to measure different aspects of collaboration, such as staying on task, sharing work equitably, and monitoring one another's comprehension. The online posting of curriculum maps is another example of the use of technology to drive assessment. Jacobs' article in this issue shows us how the collection of honest, descriptive data about the curriculum from online maps can support learning and teaching in an entire school or district. Notice how the power of reflection can move learners to higher achievement in Wahrman and Palmquist's column about an assassinations project that they originally described several years ago in Knowledge Quest .