ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the various ways that we use measurement in the classroom. It differentiates among the terms assessment, measurement, and evaluation, and differentiates between formal and informal assessment. The chapter also looks at the various roles of assessment including preliminary, diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment. It also differentiates between maximum and typical performance measures. The chapter examines a brief overview of the remaining chapters on measurement. Evaluation involves the use of measurement to make decisions about or to determine the worth of a person or object. Evaluation is frequently the step that follows measurement. Assessment is a very general term that describes the many techniques that we use to measure and judge student behavior and performance. Typical performance measures are designed to assess a student's most common, or typical, behavior.
