Testing: Friend or Foe?

Paul Black is Professor Emeritus of King's College London. He has been involved in numerous research and development projects in both curriculum and assessment. He contributed to several of the curriculum projects sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation, and has also worked in international projects, notably with the OECD. He was co-director of the national science surveys of the UK Assessment of Performance Unit from 1978 to 1987, and in 1987-88 he was chair of the government Task Group on Assessment and Testing which advised on the new UK policy for national assessment. He is currently a member of the Board on Testing and Assessment of the USA National Academy of Sciences.

• Series Editors’ Preface 1 Introduction 2 History 3 Purposes 4 Confidence in Assessment—Reliability and Validity 5 What to Test—Norms, Criteria and Domains 6 How to Assess—Methods and Instruments 7 Teachers’ Roles in Assessment and Testing 8 Pupils and Assessment 19 Certification and Accountability 10 Conclusions

'There can be few authors more able to illuminate the theory and practice of assessment and testing ... it can be thoroughly recommended as a starting-point for understanding the tensions in testing and assessment, challenging our preconceptions of them as friends or foes.' - Educational Research'This useful text provides a comprehensive and easy reading introduction to assessment and testing and would be suitable for initial teacher training, early master's degree or diploma work.' - Cambridge Journal of Education