Given the controversy over the use of standardized tests that rely heavily on multiple-choice items reflecting the language, culture, and/or learning style of the middle class majority, arguments are advanced for the use of alternative, supplemental forms of assessment. Informal assessment is defined as techniques that can easily be incorporated into classroom routines and learning activities, and are identified as unstructured (e.g., writing samples, homework, journals, games, debates) or structured (e.g., checklists, close tests, rating scales, questionnaires, structured interviews). Guidelines for informal assessment are offered, including scoring procedures such as holistic or analytic procedures, general impression markings, or error patterns. Guidelines for using another method, student portfolios, are detailed. Guidance is also offered for the evaluation of programs funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII, including reporting assessment data. It is concluded that informal techniques are needed to provide the continuous, ongoing measurement of student growth needed for formative evaluation and for planning instructional strategies. Contains 23 references. (LB)