The reasons for using tests in early childhood programs are (1) to increase teachers' confidence in their role performance; (2) to explain and defend early childhood programs; (3) to promote consistency across programs; (4) to provide curriculum and instruction guidance to teachers; and (5) to focus teachers and parents on the more measurable…

The historical roots of current educational assessment practices are traced, exploring assessment in the generic sense rather than as educational measurement. Our culture of assessment developed long ago, predating the history of educational measurement. Current inefficiencies in education and faults in school life may have grown with this…

Three eras in the history of examining outcomes of education are described, and a new approach labeled as "assessment" is characterized as a postmodern era of achievement testing. This era is marked by increasing the teacher's authority to evaluate achievement and questioning the relevance of certain psychometric principles of evaluation. (SLD)