ABSTRACT
Words can be as misleading as they can be precise. One is reminded of William Whitelaw, the loyal lieutenant of the Thatcher administration, accusing certain colleagues of, ‘Going around stirring up apathy’. It looked for a time as though baseline assessment might disappear under a sea of confusion about nomenclature. Initial assessment, starting points, on-entry assessment, entry assessment and entry profile were among the alternatives suggested before the term baseline assessment prevailed.
