In actuality, however, the relationships among assessment, curriculum, and instruction are not always ideal. Ideally, instruction is faithful and effective in relation to curriculum, and assessment reflects curriculum in such a way that it reinforces the best practices in instruction. Furthermore, the information gained should be put to good use by informing decisions about curriculum and instruction and ultimately improving student learning (Falk, 2000 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1995).Īssessments do not function in isolation an assessment’s effectiveness in improving learning depends on its relationships to curriculum and instruction. In education, as in other professions, good decision making depends on access to relevant, accurate, and timely information. To this end, people should gain important and useful information from every assessment situation. The aim of assessment should be “ to educate and improve student performance, not merely to audit it” (Wiggins, 1998, p.7). Although assessments are currently used for many purposes in the educational system, a premise of this report is that their effectiveness and utility must ultimately be judged by the extent to which they promote student learning.