Assessment is the means of obtaining information which allows teachers, pupils and parents to make professional judgements about pupils' progress. The starting point for this is the curriculum and the processes of learning and teaching. Although assessment has many facets, its essence is determining what a pupil is actually achieving in relation to expectations of attainment and drawing conclusions from that comparison. Expectations may be widely recognised, such as those set out as attainment outcomes, strands and targets in the 5-14 curriculum guidelines; or they may be more specific to a region or school, like those which are described in regional or school policies.

National tests are part of the overall 5-14 assessment strategy. Teachers will report on pupils' progress and attainment across the whole curriculum, using their professional judgment and the evidence available to them from their own continuous assessment throughout the year. National tests will provide an additional and important source of evidence about pupils' attainment in Reading, Writing and Mathematics in relation to nationally agreed and understood standards. Teachers will use the tests to check their own assessments and to ensure consistent interpretation of what the levels of attainment described in the 5-14 guidelines mean in practice.

The headteacher should provide teachers with clear advice on assessment and determine when and how assessment information will be collected, and how it can be used most effectively at whole school level. Effective assessment policy and practice in each school will improve the quality of learning and teaching. These guidelines are designed to help schools produce effective policies and develop good practice in assessment.

The guidelines are in three parts.

Part 1, Assessment 5-14, introduces the main features of a strategy for assessment 5-14, sets assessment in the context of learning and teaching, and discusses the implications for school assessment policies. Five key elements in assessment are identified.

Part 2, Guidelines for Assessment in Schools, offers guidance on the basis of which schools should review and develop their assessment policy. It describes the principles and intentions which should underline each school's assessment practice; identifies the roles of those involved in the process of assessment; and considers ways in which the key principles of effective assessment can be implemented in the classroom.

These two parts form the content of this document, and are available to all primary and secondary teachers. At the end of Part 2, there is a fold-out Overview, summarising the contents of the two parts and showing their relationship to Part 3, From Guidelines to Policy and Practice: A Staff Development Pack. Published separately in a ring binder, Part 3 complements parts 1 and 2, and is designed to assist schools in developing their policies and practices in assessment. Part 3 is issued separately to Education Authorities, to be made available to all primary and secondary schools.

Teachers will wish to familiarise themselves with the principles and information in Parts 1 and 2 and consider their implications for practice. Part 3 will be useful for reference as part of this process, as it provides further details and examples. Schools may also wish to consider the more detailed advice and guidance in the staff development pack over a more extended period of time. Headteachers and their colleagues can refer selectively to the various elements of the package, depending on their priorities as policy and practice develop.

It should be emphasised that assessment is an integral part of the 5-14 guidelines and cannot be considered in isolation from other aspects of the development. These guidelines complement and support advice about assessment given in the guidelines for each curriculum area; they also complement the guidelines Reporting 5-14 and should be read with these in mind. Headteachers will find advice and case-studies relevant to developing a school assessment policy in The 5-14 Development Programme: A Handbook for Headteachers. Arrangements for national testing are published separately in the Framework for National Testing.