Student evaluation and assessment are central to every school and classroom. Evaluation and assessment are how we find out what students are learning, how they are progressing, and how we can make improvements for their future development. With requirements for testing and standards-based instruction at an all-time high, effective student evaluation is more essential today than ever before. But where in the instructional process should assessments occur? What kinds of questions should be asked? How is the information used to direct student learning? Who has the right to access and use this information?

The Joint Committee presents 28 certified standards for assessing evaluation practices in elementary and secondary classrooms. These standards are broken down into four essential attributes of sound evaluation, each providing definitions, guidelines, common errors, supportive documentation, and illustrative case studies:

• Propriety standards, which protect individual rights
• Utility standards, which ensure that evaluations are timely, informative, and influential
• Feasibility standards, which recognize "real-world" dynamics and environmental influences
• Accuracy standards, which determine whether an evaluation has produced sound information

These standards provide teachers and administrators with the tools they need to master every "nuance" of student evaluation, including validity, political viability, teacher biases, conflicts of interest, a student's right to privacy, and much more. But most important, they will help ensure that student evaluation practices are on track, so we can properly serve and improve student learning.

American Association of School Administrators

American Counseling Association

American Educational Research Association

American Evaluation Association

American Psychological Association

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Canadian Evaluation Society

Canadian Society for the Study of Education

Consortium for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation

Council of Chief State School Officers

National Association of Elementary School Principals

National Association of Secondary School Principals

National Council on Measurement in Education

National Education Association

National Legislative Program Evaluation Society

National School Boards Association

See Facilitator's Guide to The Student Evaluation Standards

• Approved by the American National Standards Institute
• Developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation with assistance from members of 14 major educational organizations in the United States and Canada, this volume represents a national and international consensus of what is most important to sound student assessment and evaluation
• Carefully researched and written to provide practical guidance for classroom teachers, school administrators, and parents/guardians who want to understand the design, implementation, and effectiveness of student evaluations
• Accompanied by a Facilitator's Guide to guide training sessions in use of the Standards