A series of eight videoconferences was designed to help educational professionals improve schools by applying knowledge gained from research. During the videoconference programs, which are transmitted by satellite to facilities with receiving capacity, viewers can interact by telephone with the program presenters. Each program covers a specific topic and each has a "content partner" (a learning center, institute, teachers' association or other group) that supplies expertise in the program area. The format of the program involves the presentation of two stories depicting classrooms or communities that have successfully integrated research with practice, and a question-and-answer session with the studio audience and remote viewers. In this document, a review of research on the nature of student assessment and the effects of assessment on educational practice is followed by an overview of the fourth program in the series, which covers the topic of alternative methods of student assessment. In this program, the first story describes the use of a wide range of assessment practices in third- and fourth-grade classes in an elementary school in Los Angeles. The second story illustrates the ways in which a Wisconsin school district is changing assessment practices through the active involvement of the school and community. A series of follow-up activities relevant to the topic of student assessment is described. Additional materials include biographical information on videoconference participants, a list of resources on student assessment, a glossary of terms, and a reference list of 23 items. (BC)