Quality Assessment Frameworks (QAFs) are standardized templates that include pre-defined criteria, open questions, or a combination to assess the quality of evaluations. They support organizations to limit risks associated with poor-quality evaluation. Qualitative research focused on four QAFs shows that five dimensions of quality are assessed…

Assessment literacies are finding leverage, but there is little exploration of links between theory, practice and perceived understandings in higher education (HE). This article builds on and consolidates research that has taken place over ten years that evaluates assessment literacies among HE lecturers in education and science, and in staff…

Appreciating that a significant amount of assessment-related literature has focused on the 'what' of assessment (i.e. what to assess), 'the systematic use of assessment to improve learning remains the exception rather than the rule' [Wiliam, D. (2018). Assessment for learning: Meeting the challenge of implementation. "Assessment in Education:…

This article draws on previously employed methods for conducting fidelity studies and applies them to an evaluation of an unprescribed intervention. We document the process of assessing the fidelity of implementation of the Math Recovery first-grade tutoring program, an unprescribed, diagnostic intervention. We describe how we drew on recent…

The idea that assessment is intrinsic to effective instruction is traced from early experiments in the individualization of learning through the work of Benjamin Bloom to reviews of the impact of feedback on learners in classrooms. While many of these reviews detailed the adverse impact of assessment on learning, they also indicated that under…

Whilst many definitions of formative assessment have been offered, there is no clear rationale to define and delimit it within broader theories of pedagogy. This paper aims to offer such a rationale, within a framework which can also unify the diverse set of practices which have been described as formative. The analysis is used to relate formative…

A comprehensive assessment system is one in which three types of assessments: summative, benchmark, and formative assessments are routinely administered to all students in K-12 classrooms. The first part of this report summarizes the research on comprehensive assessment systems and provides clarity in terms of how each individual assessment type…

Local assessment systems are being marketed as formative, benchmark, predictive, and a host of other terms. Many so-called formative assessments are not at all similar to the types of assessments and strategies studied by Black and Wiliam (1998) but instead are interim assessments. In this article, we clarify the definition and uses of interim…

Assessment is critically important to education both for accreditation and to support learning. Yet the literature dealing with formative and summative assessment definitions and terminology is not aligned. This article reports an empirical small-scale study of lecturers in Education at an English university. The research posits that these…

This paper wishes to clarify the definitions of the central terms relating to assessment. It argues that all assessment begins with summative assessment (which is a judgement) and that formative assessment is in fact summative assessment plus feedback which is used by the learner.

The formative-summative distinction in evaluation is defended as a reasonable way to classify evaluation activities. Context ultimately defines the formative or summative functions of evaluation. The characteristics of an evaluator are defined, and points of agreement with the other contributors to the forum are noted. (SLD)

Utilization should be defined according to the evaluation approach used and the purposes established for it. By developing a matrix that includes the dimensions of utilization and the various evaluation approaches, it is possible to plan and conduct evaluations that increase the likelihood of the desired type of utilization. (Author/LC)

A few major concepts about evaluation and accountability are examined briefly, and related to one another in a manner providing a simple portrayal of part of the mosaic of educational evaluation and accountability. This paper is not intended for evaluation specialists or schoolmen well versed in evaluation theory and practice, but for the…

A good formative evaluator, who helps programs become as effective as possible, behaves remarkably like a good personal coach. Nine ways in which a formative evaluator can help a program manager are listed, and implications for practicing evaluators and the evaluation profession are detailed. (SLD)

Responds to the debate on how evaluation processes can reward individual differences, and at the same time ensure quality-control across the board. A review is provided of types of evaluation and suggestions are offered for the development of successful, institutionally appropriate evaluation plans. (Author/VWL)