What purpose does educational assessment serve? Are the same instruments suitable for different purposes? How much trust can we place upon the outcomes of educational assessment?

The subject of educational assessment is much discussed and much misunderstood. Policymakers assert its importance to quality in education and its essential role in ensuring accountability for public education, and the results of educational assessment are thought to be of such vital interest to society that they are often made public knowledge.

This approachable text explores the philosophical...