The development of the 1997 assessment of arts education marks the third time music and the visual arts have been addressed in a national assessment. Using the consensus process, a framework was produced that describes the 1997 assessment. The process was founded on the vision of a society that believes the arts are essential to every child's complete development. Every child needs to experience enough of the discipline, the challenge, and the joy of creating in different art forms to intimately understand the human significance of dance, music, theater, and the visual arts. Using an issues paper as a guiding force, the framework team considered a series of questions: (1) how can the 1997 arts assessment combine realism and vision; (2) what is the model of arts learning that will inform the kinds of exercises and examples developed for the assessment; (3) what methods of assessment should be used; (4) should the definition be cut so sharply into four strands (dance, music, theater, visual arts); (5) whose art; (6) who will be sampled for the assessment; and (7) how will it be possible to examine student performance in various aspects of an arts discipline in ways that are safe and valid. The proposed assessment consists of a series of exercises for all students in the sample; at least one special study; and a series of background questions. Both processes (creating, performing/interpreting, and responding) and content are applied in combination and integrated at various levels. (JH)