Testing--as any administrator, teacher, or student will share, there is a lot of it going on in schools. It is not only the formal testing that many parents may remember from their school days. There is now a wide array of different kinds of assessment initiated by states, districts, schools, and classroom teachers. Why all this attention to testing and assessment? The short answer is because assessment provides information about students' learning. Teachers and administrators use that information to help students achieve the standards--or learning expectations--for their grade level. And also, parents and guardians can use information from an assessment to support their child's learning. The purpose of this guide is to help parents interpret the many classroom assignments, score reports, and rubrics they receive in the mail or find in their child's backpack. The guide describes three common types of assessment: (1) classroom assessment; (2) district and school interim assessment; and (3) state annual assessment. The guide also includes examples of questions parents can ask teachers and administrators about assessment. The goal of these conversations is to devise a plan for how children will get the supports he or she needs--both in school and at home.