Assessment has long been at the center of education policy debates, and for good reason. The goal of schooling is to maximize student learning, and assessments provide a picture of what students know and are able to do. Assessments also have a strong influence on what goes on in classrooms. The United States is now poised to make the most dramatic…

This paper reports on a project undertaken by the Australian Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) organization in New South Wales to develop a set of teacher competencies for TESOL instructors. The paper describes how these competencies were developed, outlines general areas of teacher and TESOL competence, and examines in…

This paper considers the implementation of Student Performance Standards (SPS) in Queensland, Australia, and their implications for teacher education. Student testing procedures in various Australian states and territories are described. A theoretical framework, grounded in Australian educational history, is elaborated for understanding the…