Recent developments for student assessment and national curriculum in England are presented in this paper. The first part offers an overview of the national curriculum, as established by the government-appointed Task Group on Assessment and Testing (TGAT), which identified corresponding levels with statements of attainment. National curriculum assessment, as proposed by the TGAT, led to the development of the Standard Assessment Task instrument in 1991. The role of national curriculum assessment in reporting results is also described. Conclusions are that aggregated judgments of performance pose problems for true criterion-referencing, and that no evidence currently exists as to the effect of curriculum specifications on teaching and learning. Assessment validity is threatened when assessment practices and the curriculum are not changed in conjunction with each other. The appendix (Attainment Target 4: Shape and Space) provides a sample program of study. (8 references) (LMI)