Despite traditional demands for single assessments that compare children to each other, the successful implementation of standards-based education reform requires ongoing assessment of performance that is tied to standards and yields outcome data that supports improved instruction. States must continue to develop and refine standards of student performance, while undertaking the complicated process of selecting and developing, preparing for, and administering aligned, reliable, and inclusive assessments of that performance. States and districts are confronted by the continuing conflict within the education community about the very value and nature of particular assessments. For example, while most agree that performance-based assessments provide more accurate descriptions of student progress and are more helpful in informing classroom practice, their administration is expensive and time consuming. Likewise, such authentic assessments, by their very nature, are difficult to standardize across large numbers with much validity.
Similar assessment debates abound in regard to the impact of assessments.
In implementing high standards and assessments aligned to those standards, States and districts face the demands, not only of including, but also of effectively serving all children. Use of Data and Research Substantial education reform is an iterative process that requires ongoing action, assessment, evaluation, and corrective action. As such, both data and research take on valuable roles in informing continuous improvements. States and districts demonstrating the greatest success in education reform tend to be those that have developed systems for continually assessing where they are and where they are headed, and that measure their progress in getting there. Goals 2000 supports that process across States and districts.