The Nebraska Assessment Battery of Essential Learning Skills (N-ABELS) is a goal-oriented instrument with an evaluation component providing a basis for determining acquisition of twelve skills defined as learning goals. Each goal is stated in terms of an acceptable performance standard which clearly describes what the student must do. The skills included are reading (decoding an oral passage); writing from dictation (encoding); spelling; math, including basic computation with whole numbers and decimal fractions; map reading; and three information retrieval skills involving the dictionary, encyclopedia, and card catalog. There is no relationship between skill mastery and grade level, but most skills should have been introduced by grade 5. Mastery is defined as errorless performance; therefore N-ABELS differs from standardized achievement tests since the latter are norm referenced to scores of other students at the same grade or age. Although N-ABELS is a marked departure from most school testing programs, it is easily understood by the public. An accountability base is thereby established; so that parents can help their children prior to actual testing, this booklet provides sample forms of each of the twelve tests. Each sample test contains the definition of the skill, directions to the student, and an answer key. The official student progress report is included for reference. The 1,000 essential spelling words from the N-ABELS vocabulary are also included for practice on the writing and spelling tests. (Author/CP)