CRESST 2004 Conference: Research Guidance: Assessment, Accountability, Action!

The 2004 CRESST conference, Research Guidance: Assessment, Accountability, Action, confirmed that the research community is well poised to guide educators and policymakers into the more sophisticated use of test-based accountability. The September meeting of 200 researchers and educators looked more to future possibilities than to past missed opportunities in a program that focused on accumulating knowledge about assessments, especially their effect on teaching, and refinements of accountability systems. The two years of experience in implementing No Child Left Behind across the country provided the undercurrent at the conference for discussions and debate about how research can guide assessment and accountability.