A third assumption is that there are as many computers available as there are students who are being assessed at any one time.

Presenting the task: The teacher describes a software package that enables users to design quilts on the computer. Giving each student a handout showing the screens below, the teacher should guide the group through the first example of a sequence of designs, with students using their own computers to reproduce the example. Note: a limited number of copies of the Quilt Designer software are available for $20 (prepaid) by writing to MSEB, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, HA 476, Washington, DC 20418.

Essentially, the Quilt Designer program allows a child to create a ''quilt" of 64 squares by starting with a basic square of his or her own design. This starting square is acted upon by a sequence of three 2 × 2 designs, each entry of which is a rotation through 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°. Thus the initial basic square design becomes a 2 × 2 quilt, each square of which is a congruent (and perhaps rotated) copy of the initial design; the rotations are specified by the first pattern of arrows. The second pattern of arrows turns that into a 4 × 4 quilt, and the third pattern of arrows results in an 8 × 8 quilt.

When the Quilt Designer program starts, the user can retrieve work that is already in progress, or start a new quilt. In the latter case, the first screen that appears allows one to design the basic unit square.