This section builds on the assessment discussion in KEY 2. It enables school staff to examine assessment practices in the school, the use of assessment data at all levels, and the consistency of instruction and assessment across grades in order to make improvements.

Following suggestions in this section will help you:

1. Become aware of the types of activities used for assessing students throughout the school.
   
   
2. Consider how school programs are or can be assessed.
   
   
3. Evaluate the appropriateness of the consequences attached to assessments used in the school and develop strategies for improving the use of assessment data.
   
   
4. Examine the consistency across school programs.

Throughout your work with this section, consider whether all assessments used form a system that is consistent and comprehensive. Evaluate how well the assessments cover what students are expected to learn. Compare classroom assessment techniques. In one classroom, for example, a teacher may use only multiple choice questions while another uses only open-ended questions. Question how classroom assessments align with those at the state and district levels. How well do they go beyond what large-scale tests assess?