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AB STRA CTOver the last 10 years far-reaching changes have been introduced to the education system of England and W ales. In particular, the curriculum in state schools has been prescribed through the introduction of a N ational Curriculum. Associated with the National Curriculum is an assessm ent system involving teachers undertaking the on-going assessm ent of pupils, as well as externally set national tests, the results of which are published. These changes have had a profound effect on the training needs of in-service teachers and on the content and structure of training courses for pre-service teachers. The assessm ent system linked to the National Curriculum is extrem ely complex. There are huge dem ands on the tim e available for pre-service teacher training. This m eans that teacher educators struggle to ® nd valid ways to train students to develop good assessm ent practices that will enhance students' teaching and the learning achieved by their pupils. This paper reports on the attem pts of one group of course tutors to develop a m eans of achieving this goal.

The paper is an attempt to address, on behalf of the teacher of reading, some pedagogically significant aspects of metacognition. A study was designed to test the effect of using Metacognitive Awareness Guidance (MCAG) in reading assessment tasks given to nine year old pupils (fourth grade in Israel). MCAG addresses five basic habits of mind (HOM) through questions and activities. The rationale for applying it was influenced by Vygotsky's notion of the ''zone of proximal development''. After the study ended, each teacher whose class was part of the treatment group was interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to gain the teachers' perspectives, thoughts and opinions on applying MCAG to assessment tasks in reading; its role and effects on learner performance and outcomes; and its influence on their daily teaching and learning activities. Their reactions related to four aspects: the use of self-talk, the use of metacognitive learning strategies, the written MCAG and integrating habits of mind into reading assessment tasks. The implications of the findings are discussed.

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