What is assessment literacy? It's a handful of fundamental understandings about the testing concepts and procedures that influence educational decisions. And it just might be the most cost-effective means of real school improvement. With characteristic humor and aplomb, assessment expert W. James Popham strips away the psychometrician-speak and condenses the complexities of educational testing to six practical and action-oriented understandings about validity, reliability, fairness, score reporting, formative assessment, and affective assessment. This book is for busy educators at the classroom and leadership levels who want: Tests that are worth the valuable time they take to administer. Tests that accurately measure what student have learned. Tests that fairly reflect teacher and school effectiveness. Tests that provide the instructionally useful data that will help students learn faster and better. Assessment Literacy for Educators in a Hurry is the fastest route to acquiring the measurement moxie necessary to understand and advocate for better assessment practices and build a case for stopping ineffective and harmful ones. In just a few hours' time, you can pick up the knowledge you need to do a whole lot of good-for your students, yourself, and our schools.

Since June 2004, millions of parents and teachers across the United States have been receiving report cards in the mail alerting them that their local schools have "failed." For many Americans, this was the first introduction to President Bush's controversial "No" "Child Left Behind" legislation, which calls for expanded student testing, more stringent accountability requirements, and annual school-focused report cards at the state, district, and school levels. The legislation ties substantial federal funds for disadvantaged students--which many schools have already been receiving for almost four decades--to performance requirements dictated by the new legislation.
But are these report cards accurate? "In America's "Failing" Schools," W. James Popham provides parents and teachers with explanations of "No Child Left Behind" as a whole, walking them through the implications for standardized testing in particular, in language that is uncomplicated and straightforward. Popham offers definitions of the law and its key terms, explanations of what it really means when a school is labeled "failing," and concrete suggestions for what can be done in response.
Because parents with children in failing schools will now have the rare option of transferring their children to other, non-failing schools, they will need to understand why a "failing" school may actually still be a good school. Similarly, the teachers and administrators at both failing and passing schools need to know whether their school's label was truly deserved, and how to bring about the changes required by the new legislation.
Whether parent, teacher, administrator, or involved citizen, anyone concerned with the state ofeducation in the U.S. will want to read "America's "Failing" Schools,"

"Why is it," writes noted assessment expert W. James Popham, "that today's educators seem almost compelled to replicate their predecessors' blunders?" Looking back over a career of more than fifty years in education, Popham identifies six key "unlearned lessons" in education and reflects on their impact on schools, teachers, and students. In an account enlivened by personal anecdotes and the unique perspective gained from long experience, he shows how each of these six mistakes has persisted over time, gives examples of encounters with these mistakes in the course of his professional career, and points the way toward straightforward solutions. This lucid and powerful book belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the history of education and the intersection between assessment, policy, and instruction.

If you're frustrated by standardized tests that don't give you the information you need to help students achieve in the classroom, then here's a book that explains how to create and use tests to guide everyday teaching practices.

A renowned expert on assessment provides you with a "crash course" on the basic principles of testing:

How tests can tell you what to teach and how to teach it.

What to put on a test and why, including the rules for choosing and writing good test items.

The measurement concepts every educator must know in order to design tests that meet tough accountability standards.

How to avoid "teaching to the test" and five common mistakes in test writing.

Sample test items, tips, and steps guide you in collecting the right testing data, interpreting it, and making sound judgments about whether your instructional practices are achieving the results you want.

What's wrong with today's teacher-evaluation systems-and how to improve them Unsound teacher evaluation practices lead to misinformed decisions regarding strategies for student learning, resulting in negative effects to students. Education measurement and evaluation expert W. James Popham critiques what is wrong with many existing teacher-evaluation systems and offers an alternate system that respects the professionalism and dignity of teachers. Popham argues that, because teaching is a very situation- specific profession, the use of any paint-by-numbers, one- size-fits-all teacher evaluation system is patently absurd. Rather, the only defensible approach to teacher evaluation is to base it on collegial judgment, that is, on the evaluative conclusions of experienced teachers who have been specifically trained and formally certified to carry out this function. This book discusses: Key strengths and weaknesses of prominent teacher-evaluation evidence How to improve a flawed teacher-evaluation program The merits of a teacher evaluation program based on "evidence-governed collegial judgment

In America's "Failing" Schools, W. James Popham provides parents and teachers explanations of No Child Left Behind as a whole, walking them through the implications for standardized testing in particular, in language that is uncomplicated and straightforward. Popham offers definitions of the law and its key terms, explanations of what it really means when a school is labeled "failing," and concrete suggestions for what can be done in response.

W. James Popham, one of the most well-known and respected experts in educational assessment, discusses the key principles new and seasoned school leaders need to know about educational assessment to do their work effectively. Readers will come away with crucial understandings that allow them to lead assessment of learning, meet accountability requirements, and communicate knowledgeably about accountability and test results with students, parents, the media, and the public. Using plain language, a witty and engaging writing style, and practical examples, Popham covers: - Validity, reliability, and assessment bias - The importance of formative assessment - Assessing students with disabilities and English language learners - Interpreting results of large-scale assessments - Instructional sensitivity of accountability tests Everything School Leaders Need to Know About Assessment is a concise, authoritative guide to a topic that all educational leaders must understand in these critical times.

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 readers everything they need to know to change that, including the purposes of tests, the difference between reliability and validity and how to build tests with fairness.