With public demand and recent federal legislation calling for high standards and improved student performance, virtually every state in the nation has created and administered statewide tests that measure student progress over time. The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 will result in increased use of these tests. After careful deliberation, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform has endorsed the following statement of policy: The National Forum believes in standards and assessments that lead to high expectations, foster high-quality instruction, and support higher levels of learning for every student. At the same time, the National Forum believes that no single test should ever be the sole determinant of a young adolescent's academic future, whether it be promotion to the next grade, special placement, or transition from the middle grades to high school. Rather, the National Forum encourages diverse approaches to curriculum and instruction and supports the use of multiple measures to make decisions about a student's progress. These may include portfolios, exhibitions, performances, demonstrations, and tests that measure how well students achieve state standards. This policy statement is grounded in the National Forum's vision of high performing middle-grades schools, which use multiple sources of assessment information to make decisions about teaching and student learning. [For "Teacher Preparation, Licensure, and Recruitment. Policy Statement. Issue 2," see ED528789.]