This material consists of eight 90-minute videotapes and a workshop guide. The tapes capture separate videoconference workshops focused on ways K-12 teachers use assessment to improve mathematics and science teaching and learning.

These videotape workshops address the broad issue of assessment. The purpose of the workshops is to introduce new ways of using assessment to support teaching for understanding. Additionally, the material provides teachers with examples of assessment tools and performance tasks, guidelines for creating and evaluating their own performance tasks, and research-validated reasons for using these new teaching strategies. The audience is K-12 mathematics and science teachers.

Each of the eight videotapes is the foundation for a particular workshop topic, with each presenting a videoconference by a panel comprised of a moderator, one or more content experts (referred to as "content guides"), and several teachers. At the time of each videoconference, participants at remote sites were able to interact with the panel via telephone, and their comments are included on the videotapes. In general, the presentations follow the same design sequence:

• Introduction of topic by the content guide and moderator
• Clip from a classroom videotape that illustrates the topic in practice
• Discussion by panel
• Reports of discussions by participants at remote sites
• Summary by the content guide and moderator
• Assignment of an activity to be performed at the remote sites
• Reports on activity by the remote sites

Each of the eight workshops is supported by print materials in the Workshop Guide, including a pre-workshop assignment, a summary of the workshop, suggested classroom strategies, discussion questions, related resources and background readings, and blackline masters and worksheets.

The content of the workshops themselves and that of the classroom clips is firmly grounded in current theory and research on how students learn. Such research is cited in the videotape presentations, and access to research is provided in the Workshop Guide via bibliographies with references to secondary sources and readings.

One reviewer commented that several of the sample performance tasks lack a clear focus on science and mathematics content. Additionally, in the first several workshops students are often shown expressing opinions based on little or no evidence, or making decisions determined by which student in the group is most assertive. The performance tasks showcased in the early workshops do not focus on student understanding, but rather provide different formats under which students unpack previous knowledge. These aspects of assessment could serve as prompts for interesting discussions.

One reviewer pointed out that, although these materials could be used as designed (as a series of eight ready-made workshops), they might best be used to provide professional development providers with an effective framework for creating their own workshops, selecting the most appropriate segments for their audience from these videotapes and written materials, and blending them with other activities.

Reviewers noted that the most useful videotape sections are the comments by the content guides and the classroom clips. Much of the audio from remote sites and the panel discussion might be more effectively replaced by local discussion under the guidance of a skilled facilitator.

Participants could assume the role of learners in the sample lessons. For example, a silent mathematics activity on Videotape #6 provides an excellent opportunity for participants to experience the power of that lesson from a learner's perspective.

The videotapes can also be viewed by professional development designers to gain insight into how to use video clips from the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Collection to create a local workshop.

As stated previously, these materials are best used by a skilled facilitator who uses selected portions for workshops which promote discussion of topics matched to participants' needs.

Reviewers noted that many worksheets for the later sessions are missing, and that the assignments given on the videotape often do not match the pre- or post-workshop questions in the Workshop Guide.