Large-Scale Assessment

Dimensions, Dilemmas, and Policy

The plethora of educational data resulting from the explosion of assessments in the 1990's created a very real challenge for educators—how to evaluate and interpret the often idiosyncratic and difficult to compare results. Edward Kifer, an expert in the field of large-scale assessment, helps make sense of assessments that often vary in context and subject, serve multiple purposes and multiple audiences, and were built on complex statistical and measurement ideologies.

In Large-Scale Assessment, Kifer addresses:

• Critical assessment themes
• Perspectives for viewing large-scale assessments
• Laying the foundation for plausible interpretations of results
• Understanding the thorny issues of assessment
• Monitoring what matters

With the help of assessment grids, charts, and frameworks for each assessment story, educators are enabled to judge the merits of complex reports. A comprehensive resource list of existing assessments, organizations, and informative Web sites make this an essential resource for educators and administrators who want to be able to understand and use critical data to increase student learning.