Wurtzel, J., Marion, S., Perie, M., & Gong, B. (2009). The role of interim assessments in a comprehensive assessment system. In L.M. Pinkus (Ed.) Meaningful Measurement: The Role of Assessments in Improving High School Education in the Twenty-First Century (pp. 77-94). Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
The authors begin by distinguishing between summative, formative, and interim assessments, and then offer a framework for determining the role of interim assessments in the classroom. Wurtzel and colleagues discuss essential questions for education leaders to consider when evaluating interim assessments (e.g., what do we want to learn from this assessment, what actions will be taken as a result), purposes for interim assessments (i.e., instructional, evaluative, predictive, or multi-purpose), and characteristics of effective interim assessment systems (e.g., adequate representation of content standards, high-quality test items, etc.). The chapter also includes sections on commercially available interim assessment systems and concludes with implications for district, state, and federal decision makers.
Balanced Assessment System, Benchmark Assessment
The DataUse web site is a part of AACC
and was created and is regularly updated by CRESST
in partnership with WestEd,
and supported by the U.S. Dept. of Education.
