The ABCs of Educational Testing

Amplify your assessment literacy.

Formative, data-driven, high-stakes—we all know the buzzwords surrounding educational testing. But often times we shelve our understanding of these terms because we think they are overwhelmingly complex. After all, isn’t that why we have "experts" crafting assessments?

Those who care about our schools and students—teachers, administrators, policymakers, parents, citizens—will find The ABCs of Educational Testing the first accessible explanation of how and why having a fundamental understanding of educational testing is so important. Inappropriate tests are currently leading to harmful decision-making, and this book gives you everything you need to know to change that, including

• The purposes of tests
• The difference between and importance of reliability and validity
• How to build tests with fairness
• The importance of students’ affect

Using a nontechnical and conversational approach, this book offers fundamental knowledge to free you from testing fogginess—all framed around practical actions you can take today to strengthen your assessment literacy for tomorrow.