The majority of respondents spoke of access to assessment tools and professional development in the same breath. Choosing appropriate assessment tools can be a daunting task. First, one needs to know what is available in terms of commercial assessment tools. Second, funds to purchase these tools are required. Following the purchase of new tools, educators must deal with the next hurdle-learning to use the instrument. The complexity of the assessment instrument will dictate the amount of training educators will require in order to ensure accuracy and reliability during administration, scoring, and interpretation. According to the survey findings, respondents need the material resources of time and funding to access assessment tools and professional development.
The respondents expressed a desire for a resource library of assessment tools or access to a diverse range of materials. One respondent from a community-based program lamented, "I realize all the resources that are available but the time to study and implement them just is not available given the hours the program works on and the other needs that must be slotted into those hours." Practitioners need time to explore and familiarize themselves with other resources.
The respondents want training to gain or enhance their knowledge about specific assessment tools; to learn about recent studies on assessment theories and methodology; to receive confirmation that their assessment practices are adequate; and to ensure that they "haven't developed any bad habits or short cuts." They also expressed a desire for networking or sharing sessions with their colleagues to "discuss and share resources pertaining to assessment." Specifically, the respondents want to learn about the range of assessment tools that are "on the market, what they use, how they use them and when, what are the best tools to use to determine reading levels, writing levels, and math levels." Finally, some respondents wanted mentoring to assist them with interpreting test results.