One answer to standardized testing is the direct and continuous measurement of performance. Direct, continuous naturalistic observation of behavior yields a great deal of information per assessment unit. The information is precise and because it is direct, there is no question that it represents a "true sample" of the target behavior, as there is when standardized testing is used. Mediators of behavior change (teachers and/or parents) and their consultants (e.g., the school psychologist) receive accurate, daily, almost immediate feedback concerning the efficacy of the behavioral strategy employed so that inappropriate or ineffective consequences may be altered rapidly. (A brief manual for recording behavior rates and a specific case study is described.) The use of behavior rates has been examined as it relates to nonacademic behavior, but there is an unlimited potential in such use for teacher training, teacher effectiveness, identification of student competence, and a host of other academically oriented areas. (Author)