Over the past two decades, education in the United States has undergone phenomenal change. Fueled by both internal and external forces, challenges arose to previously held paradigms. Political, economic, social, cultural, and technological concerns all combined to drive the changes. Waves of educational reform precipitated by publication of "A Nation at Risk" (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) and "Toward Civilization" (National Endowment for the Arts, 1988) continue today. By focusing national attention on the scope of public education, these two reports stimulated intense examination of its nature and quality. The public's calls for accountability increased demands for evidence of student learning in all disciplines. People wanted to know whether national, state, and local standards were being met and to what degree. Visual arts education was no exception, and over the past decade the focus on assessment has been felt in most art classrooms across the country. Numerous questions and concerns have arisen. For example, for what purposes do art teachers assess? When do they assess? What types of assessments do they use? What assessment training do art teachers have? What is assessment's impact on student work? What are teachers' attitudes and concerns about assessment in art education? What general effect has assessment had on art education?