Publications & Resources

What Probably Works in Alternative Assessment

Jul 2010

Eva L. Baker

This report provides an overview of what was known about alternative assessment at the time that the article was written in 1991. Topics include beliefs about assessment reform, overview of alternative assessment including research knowledge, evidence of assessment impact, and critical features of alternative assessment. The author notes that in the short term, alternative assessment will generate negative news about student learning and will require massive support to make it a successful reform strategy. (Reprinted from a paper originally presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, April, 1991.)

Baker, E. L. (2010). What probably works in alternative assessment (CRESST Report 772). Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).