First Published in 1998. Baseline assessment will be compulsory from September 1998. Enshrined in the Education Act 1997, and subject to cross party support, baseline assessment has high popularity – at least in principle. This book reviews these different elements and purposes, and their implications for practice. The authors review the educational, psychological and psychometric factors which are relevant to developing baseline assessment and consider the socio-political context in which these initiatives are occurring.