This article argues that a "probabilistic" interpretation of competence can provide the basis for a link between assessment, teaching and learning, curriculum resources and policy development. Competence is regarded as a way of interpreting the quality of performance in a coherent series of hierarchical tasks. The work of Glaser is combined with…

Instruction and learning are increasingly based on competencies, causing a call for assessment methods to adequately determine competency acquisition. Because competency assessment is such a complex endeavor, one single assessment method seems not to be sufficient. This necessitates Competency Assessment Programs (CAPS) that combine different…

This article examines the relationships between perceptions of authenticity and alignment on study approach and learning outcome. Senior students of a vocational training program performed an authentic assessment and filled in a questionnaire about the authenticity of various assessment characteristics and the alignment between the assessment and…

Education systems around the world have begun to describe student outcomes rather explicitly in terms of actual learning that students should exhibit. How system approaches to articulating and monitoring these outcomes function is explored with reference to British, Australian, Canadian, and U.S. (Kentucky, New York, and the New Standards Project)…

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)

There is presently much disagreement about how students should be evaluated effectively to determine their progress. Some common methods are reviewed, including standardized tests and performance-based evaluation such as portfolios. Continuous experimentation is necessary in the effort to develop better measurement approaches. (SLD)