The focus of this special issue of the journal is upon nonformal assessment of children's language and literacy skills in school. Each of the authors of this issue shares the view that the traditional methods of testing and evaluation of children's competencies have not adequately contributed to the improvement of children's learning in school. In particular, formal standardized testing has failed nonmaiority children. The research presented in this issue clearly illustrates the inadequacies of solely relying on standardized testing to obtain a complete view of children's competencies.
This article provides an overview for the three research articles presented in this issue. It includes a discussion of sociolinguistic approaches 1o assessment and a comprehensive view of multiple methods of assessment as applied to observation of , children's language use in school. The conclusion considers the consequences of inadequate assessment for school failure.
NONFORMAL ASSESSMENT AND DIRECT OBSERVATION
We are concerned with how children use language in the everyday situations that they encounter in classrooms. Adequate assessment of children's literacy abilities must include an analysis of their use of language in real situations. Assessment can be viewed as a way of collecting information about a child when that information is closely related to the instructional practices in which the child participates, the teaching and learning environments that constitute the child's school experience, and individual differences among children.
Nonformal assessment involves the collection of information in a somewhat informal, but systematic manner. It can include a variety of methods and is continuous over the course of the school year. It involves periodic collection of information, for example, observation and tape recordings of children's oral language to note changes in form, content, or use. Use of these methods leads us to a more complete picture of each child's strengths, weaknesses, capacities, and