Findings of the California Learning Assessment System 1993 Opportunity-To-Learn study support the conclusion that curriculum and instruction that require higher-level skills benefit students' achievements. Data used are the best available measures of California students' learning of higher-level skills. (SLD)

California was a pioneer in new forms of student assessment through a system entitled the "California Learning Assessment System" (CLAS). For different reasons, several interest groups objected to the CLAS, which has been discontinued. The history of the CLAS program sheds light on the future of testing policy in California and perhaps…