The Authors of A Practical Guide to Alternative Assessment (ASCD) present the following suggestions for aligning instruction and assessment. Teach is based upon a specific implication from Cognitive Learning Theory (CLT) research:

	Knowledge is constructed. Learning is a process of creating personal meaning from new information and prior knowledge. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Encourage discussion of new ideas. Encourage divergent thinking, multiple links and solutions, not just one right answer. Encourage multiple modes of expression, for example, role play, simulations, debates, and explanations to others. Emphasize critical thinking skills: analyze, compare, generalize, predict, hypothesize. Relate new information to personal experience, prior knowledge. Apply information to a new situation.
	Learning has social components. Group work is valuable. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Provide group work. Incorporate heterogeneous groups. Enable students to take on a variety of roles. Consider group products and group processes.
	People perform better when they know the goal, see models, and know how their performance compares to the standard. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Discuss goals; let students help define them (personal and class). Provide a range of examples of student work; discuss characteristics. Provide students with opportunities for self-evaluation and peer review. Allow students to have input into standards.
	There is great variety in learning styles, attention spans, memory, developmental paces, and intelligences. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Provide choices in tasks (not all reading and writing). Provide choices in how to show mastery/competence. Provide time to think about and do assignments. Don't overuse timed tests. Provide opportunity to revise, rethink. Include concrete experiences (manipulatives, links to prior personal experience).
	It's important to know when to use know when to use knowledge, how to adapt it, how to manage one's own learning. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Give real-world opportunities for simulations) to apply/adapt new knowledge. Have students self-evaluate; think about how they learn well/poorly; set new goals; why they like certain work.
	Motivation, effort, and self-esteem affect learning and performance. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Motivate students with real-life tasks and connections to personal experiences. Encourage students to see connection between effort and results.
	Learning isn't necessarily a linear progression of discrete skills. Implication for Instructional Assessment: Engage all students in problem solving. Don't make problem solving, critical think, or discussion of concepts contingent on mastery of routine basic skills.

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