Assessment Research and School Psychology: Introduction to the Special Topic

Assessment provides a foundation on which school psychology is built (Ysseldyke et al., 2006), and educational assessment in this country is at a major crossroads. Technology and technology-based assessment, highstakes testing, and the increased infusion of English language learners, among other factors, have heavily influenced assessment practices and even challenged some of our basic assumptions (Fadel, Honey, & Pasnik, 2007; Pitoniak et al., 2009). Moreover, the predominant assessment paradigm has shifted from assessment of learning to assessment for learning (Stiggins, 2005), a move that started in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the push for formative as opposed to summative evaluation (Bloom, Hastings, & Madaus, 1971).