In 1988, a new act of Parliament introduced a national curriculum and national assessment to Great Britain. This article traces the background of practice and ideology that led to this innovation and then describes the development of the policy for national assessment. An initial and professionally acceptable formulation has been slowly transformed to the point where teachers have refused to carry out prescribed national testing. The reasons for this breakdown are analyzed. The political and technical lessons that can be drawn from this analysis will be of relevance to many other countries.
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