Three methods of appraising student achievement are discussed: (1) the measurement movement (MM); (2) problem solving (PS) in the curriculum; and (3) decision making (DM) in the curriculum. MMs in education emphasize: verification of student achievement results; objective procedures; alignment of learning opportunities with test items; teaching toward precise objectives; and test validity and reliability. It is contended that this reliance on test scores, the most common method, provides precise results but gives rise to rigid, formal curricula. PS procedures emphasize: learning by doing; students as active participants; actually learning and not just memorizing/mastering; students working in committees; and integrating school curriculum with life. Emphasis on PS skills represents a life-like approach in curriculum development and provides students with the ability to deal with a vast amount of information regardless of the temporal or physical location. DM strategies emphasize: the learner as the focal point of instruction; students individually choosing activities/experiences; learner responsibility for selecting/completing tasks; students governing their classroom behavior; and teachers accepting/encouraging student DM in the curriculum. DM paradigms, particularly those emphasizing the moral dimension, focus on self-evaluation and weighing the effects of ends, means, and appraisal on the self and others. (TJH)