Power, Learning, and Legitimation: Assessment Implementation Across Levels in the United States and the United Kingdom

Fieldwork conducted in two American states and in England and Wales helps to clarify the implementation of assessment policy at the central, local administrative (school and district), and classroom levels. This article examines implementation from three perspectives. The power perspective suggests that formal sanctions can result in educators attending to assessments but that such sanctions are not likely to change practice alone. A second perspective highlights what educators need to learn in order to change practice and the shortage of opportunities to do so. The legitimacy perspective attends to the ways in which policymakers generate confidence in their institutions at different levels and the conflicting criteria for supporting institutions. We conclude that assessment policy is useful for promoting easily observable changes but not deep modifications of teaching practice.