Educational assessment, used interchangeably with educational measurement in this book/module, deals with the procedures we use for measuring characteristics important to educators. The principles and methods of educational assessment, as given in this book and module, are drawn from the tradition of disciplined inquiry. Characteristics that are of central interest to education, such as reading achievement, are referred to as constructs. The assessment process yields quantitative or qualitative descriptions of the constructs we target, in the group of individuals who are measured . Assessment tools can be of various types, and include written tests, product rating scales, observation checklists, or portfolios.

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