Assessment and testing associated with implementation of the national curriculum developed by the British Department of Education and Science (London) are reviewed. Topics addressed include: profile components in the assessment framework, assessment and testing methods, bias in assessments, assurance of confidence in national assessment, reporting, the relation of criteria and scales to expected routes of child development, implementation of the curriculum in primary schools and secondary schools, assessment of children with special needs, the work of the national curriculum subject working groups, phasing of the curriculum implementation, the support structure, teacher training, educational materials, the role of the local educational authority, and future work for the task group designated to advise on assessment and testing within the national curriculum. Appendices include terms of reference and membership in the task group; a letter of guidance from the British Secretary of State; an annotated list of meetings; examples of test and assessment methods available; samples of tasks for students; a paper by the Equal Opportunities Commission ("National Testing and Equal Opportunities"); a technical note on reliability, validity, and error; guidelines for the conduct of group moderation meetings; records of achievement; a technical note on background factors affecting educational performance; school enrollment statistics; outlines of how the system can be implemented in primary schools and secondary schools; and data on existing and planned provisions for resource needs. (TJH)