The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was developed by the Arts Education Consensus Project to establish objectives for assessing arts instruction in elementary and secondary schools. The project identified objectives for arts education in general and individually for dance, music, theater, and the visual arts in grades 4, 8, and 12. The project also developed assessment specifications for each of the four arts. NAEP field tested the dance assessment for grades 4 and 8 in 1995 and grade 12 in 1997. In 1999, NAEP will publish a field test process report on the development, administration, and scoring of arts tasks for the three grades in all four arts. This report highlights the dance assessment, summarizing the dance framework set forth in the Arts Education Assessment and describing the development and field testing of dance assessment tasks. The framework covers both content and processes. A diverse group of students participated in the dance field tests. There were two assessment tasks in the field tests. The paper-and-pencil task had students view videotaped dance performances and answer questions about them. The performance task measured creation and performance using videotapes of the students in action. The report discusses issues to consider when field testing with students (e.g., use of videotape in dance assessment, privacy, and performance task setup). (SM)