The Statewide Assessment Program, administered by the Alaska Department of Education, tests all fourth and eighth graders in math and reading biennially. In 1985, the Department's Office of Evaluation, Assessment and Research undertook an evaluation of the assessment program to identify procedures which needed improvement and to determine the extent to which the assessment should be redesigned. In addition to the evaluation of test result use and assessment validity and reliability, the scope was enlarged to include opinion data on the quality of the program, appropriateness of tests, how the results might be used if the assessment should change, etc. This additional information was collected by a survey of district test representatives and by interviews with State legislators, State Board members, and Department of Education staff. The evaluation provided support for the following recommendations: (1) continue the statewide assessment of reading and mathematics for the fourth and eighth grade every other year; (2) add a secondary grade to the assessment of reading and mathematics, preferably the tenth grade; (3) provide school districts with voluntary writing assessments; (4) provide the state, State Board, school districts, legislature, and general public with individual district assessment results. The study questionnaires are appended. (PN)