Tests are being used widely, and misused widely, to evaluate students, teachers, principals, and other educational administrators. This short primer on testing and assessment is organized into three parts. Part 1, "Essential Statistical Terms," introduces some statistics that are essential to understanding testing concepts and for talking about tests intelligently. Part 2, "The Terms of Testing: A Glossary," presents some fundamental terms related to testing. These include norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests, and the concepts of reliability and validity, as well as performance based assessment. Part 2 also contains brief discussions of some well-known tests and assessment programs. Both parts 1 and 2 deal with definitions of concepts. Part 3, "Some Issues in Testing," fleshes out these definitions with discussions about testing issues, focusing on "who" and "why" questions. Throughout, the point is made that in view of the pervasiveness of tests and assessment, assessment literacy is a necessity for the public. (SLD)