ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the reader to concepts and ideas that are critical to understanding assessment practices, especially in relation to students who are English language learners (ELLs). It provides two sections namely: Multiple facets of assessment, and Basic Concepts in Assessment. Multiple Facets of Assessment provides a comprehensive view of the concept of assessment as a process, an instrument, and a system. Basic Concepts in Assessment discusses construct, measurement error, standardization, sampling, validity, reliability, and fairness. The word assessment is used to refer to the activity of integrating and evaluating information relevant to student academic achievement from different sources. Two assessment contexts are identified namely: classroom and large-scale. Assessment involves integrating and evaluating information on student academic achievement from different sources. Attention to sampling and awareness of its importance in both large-scale and classroom assessment help educators to be critical users of tests and to improve and evaluate their own assessment practices.
