Much discussion in educational circles centers on such issues as assessment, student performance, parent conferences, and related topics. The 1996 Yearbook provides information about and examples of outstanding assessment reporting systems in use in the United States and Canada. The following contributions are included: (1) "Introduction" (Thomas R. Guskey); (2) "Bridges Freeze Before Roads" (K. Heidi Watts); (3) "Reporting on Student Learning: Lessons from the Past--Prescriptions for the Future" (Thomas R. Guskey); (4) "The Role of Cooperative Learning in Assessing and Communicating Student Learning" (David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson); (5) "Grading and Academic Feedback for Special Education Students and Students with Learning Difficulties" (Russell Gersten, Sharon Vaughn, and Susan Unok Brengelman); (6) "Beyond the 'A': Communicating the Learning Progress of Gifted Students" (Kathy Bearden Peckron); (7) "Reporting Student Progress: One District's Attempt with Student Literacy" (Kenneth W. Eastwood); (8) "Communicating Student Learning in the Visual Arts" (Bernard Schwartz); (9) "Reporting Methods in Grades K-8" (Kathy Lake and Kery Kafka); (10) "Reporting Achievement at the Secondary Level: What and How" (Jane Bailey and Jay McTighe); (11) "Honesty and Fairness: Toward Better Grading and Reporting" (Grant Wiggins); and (12) "Technology's Promise for Reporting Student Learning" (W. Ross Brewer and Bena Kallick). Individual chapters contain references. (Contains 39 figures.) (SLD)