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- Vol 5 TE: App C
assessment trianglecognitive modelsobservation designinterpretive validitydiagnostic assessmentassessment fairnessevidence-based inferenceBook Evidence summaryAt a glance
This National Research Council report integrates cognitive science and measurement to propose a new foundation for educational assessment. Its central “assessment triangle” requires coherence among cognition, observation, and interpretation.
Key ideas
Cognition specifies a model of how knowledge and competence develop in a domain; observation designs tasks and situations that can reveal relevant thinking; interpretation uses evidence from responses to support defensible inferences. Weak alignment among these components limits validity, regardless of statistical sophistication. The report examines learning and expertise, task design, modern measurement models, classroom assessment, large-scale testing, technology, equity, and research needs. It argues that assessments should reveal structures of understanding, strategies, misconceptions, and progress rather than sample disconnected facts.
Why it matters
Formative and summative purposes impose different constraints, and scores valid for one purpose may not support another. For educators and designers, the practical message is to begin with a substantive model of learning, elicit diagnostic evidence through purposeful tasks, interpret it cautiously, and continually evaluate fairness, consequences, and the fit between claims and evidence.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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