Everything School Leaders Need to Know About Assessment
- W. James Popham - University of California, Los Angeles, USA
"Finally we have a book written on educational assessment that is easy to understand and keeps the reader engaged and focused on the topic. The author provides practical and useful information for both school administrators and classroom teachers."
—Kenneth Arndt, Superintendent
CUSD #300 Schools, Carpentersville, IL
"Popham asks thought-provoking questions and challenges the reader to follow through with staff."
—Marie Blum, Superintendent
Canaseraga Central School District, Canaseraga, NY
Educational assessment in a nutshell for busy school leaders!
W. James Popham, one of the most well-known and respected experts in educational assessment, discusses the key principles new and seasoned school leaders need to know about educational assessment to do their work effectively.
Readers will come away with crucial understandings that allow them to lead assessment of learning, meet accountability requirements, and communicate knowledgeably about accountability and test results with students, parents, the media, and the public. Using plain language, a witty and engaging writing style, and practical examples, Popham covers:
- Validity, reliability, and assessment bias
- The importance of formative assessment
- Assessing students with disabilities and English language learners
- Interpreting results of large-scale assessments
- Instructional sensitivity of accountability tests
Everything School Leaders Need to Know About Assessment is a concise, authoritative guide to a topic that all educational leaders must understand in these critical times.
“Finally we have a book written on educational assessment that is easy to understand and keeps the reader engaged and focused on the topic. The author provides practical and useful information for both school administrators and classroom teachers. This book demystifies educational assessment to help educators better meet the needs of students by understanding how assessment relates to good classroom instruction.”
“The book is definitely needed and makes a distinct contribution to the field, especially for school leaders. The author asks thought-provoking questions and challenges the reader to follow through with staff.”
"Given the current climate of accountability in our nation, superintendents’ toolboxes should include a solid understanding of the many forms of assessment. This book offers a practical discussion and explanation of educational assessment concepts and procedures that affect a school or district’s outcomes. Of great help to the busy administrator is Popham’s set of crucial understandings in each chapter that detail the essential ideas. The chapter titled 'Top 20 Crucial Understandings about Educational Assessment' reviews all the critical content and serves as a refresher on topics of importance."
“The writing style is great! Popham writes in such a way that one feels that he is speaking directly to you. The interspersing of humor—mostly in language and terms used—contributes very positively to the content, and the absence of educational jargon was so refreshing. The reader doesn’t feel overwhelmed.”
We are adopting the current version
Was not complete enough for the course but useful in some ways.
Great overview for educational administrators PK-16
Sample Materials & Chapters
Popham_Everything School Leaders_Preface
Popham_Everything School Leaders_Ch1