Encyclopedia of Children's Health | Assessment

Definition

Assessment is a process of gathering and documenting information about the achievement, skills, abilities, and personality variables of an individual.

Description

Assessment is used in both an educational and psychological setting by teachers, psychologists, and counselors to accomplish a range of objectives. These include the following:

• to learn more about the competencies and deficiencies of the individual being tested
• to identify specific problem areas and/or needs
• to evaluate the individual's performance in relation to others
• to evaluate the individual's performance in relation to a set of standards or goals
• to provide teachers with feedback on effectiveness of instruction
• to evaluate the impact of psychological or...