A long-held ambition for many educators and assessment experts has been to integrate summative and formative assessments so that data from external assessments used for system monitoring may also be used to shape teaching and learning in classrooms. In turn, classroom-based assessments may provide valuable data for decision makers at school and…

Argues teachers must be able to correctly interpret and evaluate research design and results to effectively use research to improve instruction. Offers five guidelines for teachers to consider before changing teaching methods in response to research results. Favors longitudinal and cross-sectional studies for best long-term results from…