Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) represents a shift from use of standardized tests as quantifiers of student achievement toward traditional data-based instructional management. The role of assessment in educational programs is explored through presentation of three contrasting perspectives: assessment for placement versus assessment for instruction, education for the handicapped versus special education, and bureaucratic form versus educational reform. The CBA approach requires mechanisms for the collection of data and higher expectations of students. Instructional assistance involves motivating the student, teaching to mastery, and practicing until the skill becomes automatic. CBA can eliminate a large proportion of referrals to special education and expensive pull-out programs through use of more effective instructional strategies. The CBA concept rests on the finding that students learn better when taught at the "instructional" level, where a student already knows 93% to 97% of the material to be read or 70% to 85% of the material to be practiced in drill. An example of applying CBA to reading instruction presents techniques for word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. The appendix contains descriptions of schools that have implemented CBA. (JDD)