Although history teachers have long been frustrated by the limitations of the National Curriculum Attainment Target and by demands to use it for purposes for which it was never intended, its official abolition has come as quite a shock. As Michael Fordham makes clear, we now have an unparalleled opportunity to rethink the way in which we assess and report on students' progress, capitalising on research insights and the best formative assessment practice. While existing reporting and monitoring structures may demand certain kinds of data, Fordham urges teachers not to "muddle through" in response to others' requirements, but to think carefully about the nature of progression in history and about the distinctive purposes that different forms of assessment serve. Fordham's identification of the key questions to ask and his own tentative solution - a "mixed constitution" - provide a clear focus and possible template for teachers eager to establish a new, more enlightened regime.