Abstract: Assessment devices, and teaching methods involving the use of the assessment devices, are disclosed. The assessment devices include iterative homework, quizzes, and/or tests, each of which allows for individual students to answer an initial question, and, based on the answer to that question, the next question will be harder or easier. The assessment devices can be administered to the students in print form, or electronically, such as on a computer or a personal digital assistant. Once the data is collated, students can be screened based on their ability to grasp all or a portion of the questions in a given test, and separated into groups based on their understanding of the subject matter. Teachers can then individually teach the different groups of students, ideally using lesson plans designed to work in tandem with the assessment devices, based on the students' grasp of the material.

Abstract: An instructional aid includes viewable alphanumeric text embodying content to be conveyed to a student, and identifiers dispersed within the instructional aid adjacent to at least selected items of said viewable alphanumeric text, with different identifiers corresponding to specific educational standards of at least one region. The content of the instructional aid may consist primarily of fiction, and/or encompass multiple academic disciplines, including at least two of (i) science, (ii) mathematics, (iii) social studies, and (iv) English, language arts, reading, and/or writing. A viewable index correlating the identifiers to educational standards of the at least one region may be provided.