This course reviews the uses, demands, and limitations of formal, standardized testing practices and builds on theoretical principles of teachers assessing more fully their own students' growth in academic knowledge and communication abilities. Students explore informal observational assessment, student self-assessment, parental involvement, portfolios, criterion- and performance-based assessment, and other authentic approaches to assessing the development of language, literacy, and academic concepts. Students also explore ways to assess and improve their own instructional programs and teaching.