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The requirements for valid assessment for learning and assessment of learning are reviewed and then the tensions between these two purposes of assessment are explored, first in general and then within two areas of the New Zealand education system. First, the nature of assessment for learning in primary schools is discussed and how it is, or might be, affected by four accountability pressures associated with assessment of learning. The second area is assessment for qualifications in the final years of secondary education. Here, some of the assessment of learning occurs at local level, within schools, and the remainder occurs at national level. These two assessment pathways create substantially different conditions affecting assessment for learning.

Every year, New Zealand assesses students' learning progress through the National Educational Monitoring Project (NEMP). NEMP is a national, formative evaluation effort that provides New Zealand educators with an accurate picture of students' education progress at Year 4 and Year 8, which are roughly comparable to grades 3 and 7 in the United States. Unlike the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or various statewide assessment programs in the United States, NEMP covers nearly all areas of the New Zealand curriculum on a four-year, rotating cycle. Assessment tasks involve one-to-one interviews, stations, teams, and independent work. Results are reported only at the national level and are disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. No individual student or school scores are provided. By focusing primarily on formative aspects, the NEMP emphasizes the value of assessments for learning.

This paper reports the results of 10 years of research into the prenatal identification of mothers likely to have major parenting problems. Previous published research reported the development of a set of criteria for determining risk status. These criteria were used to classify into four levels of risk a sample of mothers who were consecutive enrolments for prenatal care. The sample was monitored through various social agencies for 2 years. Results of this monitoring indicate the predictive validity of the risk code in an unselected sample. The value of prenatal identification of the 'at risk' is discussed together with the procedures adopted for implementing routine screening in the maternity hospital. The issue of causation, as distinct from prediction, is addressed.

New Zealand assesses the learning progress of elementary and middle-level students through the National Educational Monitoring Project (NEMP), which offers an innovative approach to understanding student achievement in language arts. The comprehensive assessment program is designed to help teachers enhance students' literacy skills and to realize the value of high-quality formative assessment data drawn from authentic literacy tasks.

Performance-based Research Funding Education Peer Review Panel provides its evaluation of education research. Suggestions for amelioration of education research, which can increase the quality of education, are provided.