Large-Scale Group Score Assessments: Past, Present, and Future

The influence of large-scale group score assessments on research, policy, and practice in education has increased dramatically over the past few decades. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the value and scope of this program of research. The chapter begins by providing an overview of the history of large-scale assessment. Next, it focuses on current research and development surrounding the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, a government-mandated assessment in the United States) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA, a large-scale survey and assessment commission by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD). We also briefly review other landmark large-scale group score assessments. Throughout, we highlight the growing use of noncognitive variables in these assessments. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some of the topics and approaches likely to guide future directions in this domain.