Performance Assessment: State Activity, Interest, and Concerns

About half the states are currently conducting, piloting, developing, or examining performance assessments, according to CRESST's State Survey on Alternative Assessment (Aschbacher, 1991a). Many state assessment directors are enthusiastic about alternative assessments as a potent tool to improve education, but they cited several obstacles to statewide use of performance assessments: costs, logistics, technical concerns, and poor support for implementation. State assessment directors discussed potential solutions and called for continued research on technical and practical issues along with greater collaboration and documentation of efforts around the country. The new Student Assessment Exchange is intended to facilitate widespread sharing of research and development initiatives in performance assessment.