Educational Assessment Measures

Educational assessment is a process of collecting data to make decisions about individuals, groups, or schools. Educational assessments are undertaken to (a) identify student needs, (b) plan instruction, (c) evaluate student progress, (d) evaluate instructional programs, (e) [Page 379]document the achievement of students, (f) evaluate professionals, and (g) evaluate schools and school districts.

Assessments have always been part of the school experience. However, recently assessment methods, instruments, and processes, as well as the use of the results, have become increasingly more important to the educational community and the general public. Internationally, evaluation and assessment have become indispensible tools for improvement, accountability, educational planning, and policy development. In the last two decades, most countries have introduced a wide range of measures intended to improve evaluation and assessment ...