The following is adapted from chapter 2 of "Assessing Expressive Learning: A Practical Guide for Teacher-Directed Authentic Assessment in K-12 Visual Art Education" by Charles Dorn, Stanley Madeja, and Robert Sabol. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ 2003. (Appendices referred to in the following article can be found in the book edition.) In the previous two editions of "Arts Education Policy Review," chapter 1, "The Assessment Context," by F. Robert Sabol, was printed in two parts. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the relationship between mass testing as a means of evaluation of school and student performance and how this process may affect or drive the curriculum. The dilemma is whether to design curriculum and then evaluate it based on criteria and techniques applicable to its content or based on its design evaluation devices, which dictate the content.