A comprehensive expansion to the essential higher education assessment text This second edition of Assessment Essentials updates the bestselling first edition, the go-to resource on outcomes assessment in higher education. In this thoroughly revised edition, you will find, in a familiar framework, nearly all new material, examples from more than 100 campuses, and indispensable descriptions of direct and indirect assessment methods that have helped to educate faculty, staff, and students about assessment. Outcomes assessment is of increasing importance in higher education, especially as new technologies and policy proposals spotlight performance-based success measures. Leading authorities Trudy Banta and Catherine Palomba draw on research, standards, and best practices to address the timeless and timeliest issues in higher education accountability. New topics include: Using electronic portfolios in assessment Rubrics and course-embedded assessment Assessment in student affairs Assessing institutional effectiveness As always, the step-by-step approach of Assessment Essentials will guide you through the process of developing an assessment program, from the research and planning phase to implementation and beyond, with more than 100 examples along the way. Assessment data are increasingly being used to guide everything from funding to hiring to curriculum decisions, and all faculty and staff will need to know how to use them effectively. Perfect for anyone new to the assessment process, as well as for the growing number of assessment professionals, this expanded edition of Assessment Essentials will be an essential resource on every college campus.

While much research has revealed which assessment practices have the most positive impact on student achievement and instruction, out-of-date, unproductive practices, which students find disengaging and disheartening, still persist. Discover how to use the power of assessment to instill hope, efficacy, and achievement in your students. With this research-based resource, you'll explore six essential tenets of assessment--assessment purpose, communication of assessment results, accurate interpretation, assessment architecture, instructional agility, and student investment--that will help deepen your understanding of assessment to not only meet standards but also enhance students' academic success and self-fulfillment. Benefits Interpret the research-based tenets of assessment that are necessary to maximize all students' learning. Gain advice and strategies for immediately acting on the six essential assessment tenets, including how to communicate assessment results to give feedback that produces constructive responses. Discover why it is vital that assessment practices build students' and teachers' hope, efficacy, and achievement. Consider scenarios that illustrate traditional, outmoded assessment practices and revised scenarios that feature practices that better reflect modern assessment needs. Reflect on questions related to the content of each chapter and study next steps that teaching teams can take. Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Hope, Efficacy, and Achievement Chapter 2: Assessment Purpose Chapter 3: Communication of Assessment Results Chapter 4: Accurate Interpretation Chapter 5: Assessment Architecture Chapter 6: Instructional Agility Chapter 7: Student Investment References Index

This revised edition shows educators how to integrate assessment with teaching and learning and offers new chapters that discuss a variety of assessment and grading techniques.

Experts in the field of assessment offer this comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the most current practices for developing assessment programs on college and university campuses. Assessment Essentials outlines the assessment process from the first to the last step and is filled with a wealth of illustrative examples to show how assessment is accomplished on today's academic campuses. It is especially useful for faculty members and others who may be new to the assessment process.

The most up-to-date resource of comprehensive information for conducting cross-battery assessments The Cross-Battery assessment approach—also referred to as the XBA approach—is a time-efficient assessment method grounded solidly in contemporary theory and research. The XBA approach systematically integrates data across cognitive, achievement, and neuropsychological batteries, enabling practitioners to expand their traditional assessments to more comprehensively address referral concerns. This approach also includes guidelines for identification of specific learning disabilities and assessment of cognitive strengths and weaknesses in individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, Third Edition is designed to help busy practitioners quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make optimal use of psychological assessment instruments. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you to gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered. Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, Third Edition is updated to include the latest editions of cognitive ability test batteries , such as the WISC-IV, WAIS-IV, and WJ III COG, and special purpose cognitive tests including the WMS-IV and TOMAL-II. This book now also overs many neuropsychological batteries such as the NEPSY-II and D-KEFS and provides extensive coverage of achievement batteries and special purpose tests, including the WIAT-III, KM-3, WRMT-3 and TOWL-4. In all, this book includes over 100 psychological batteries and 750 subtests, all of which are classified according to CHC (and many according to neuropsychlogical theory. This useful guide includes a timesaving CD-ROM, Essential Tools for Cross-Battery Assessment (XBA) Applications and Interpretation, which allows users to enter data and review results and interpretive statements that may be included in psychological reports. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

An Up-to-Date Overview of the Theory and Practice UnderlyingGifted Assessment Essentials of Gifted Assessment introduces readers to thetheory and practice underlying gifted assessment. Steven Pfeiffer,a leading expert in the field of gifted assessment, discusses whatit means to be gifted, why we should identify gifted students, andthe purposes of gifted assessment. Well-organized and engaging, the book examines key principles ofgifted assessment and provides an up-to-date overview of giftedassessment measures. Topics include the use of local norms,measuring creativity and motivation, nonverbal measures, theimportance of recurring gifted assessment, multi-potentiality,gifted testing and minority group students, and evaluating thetwice-exceptional student. Early identification and interventiongreatly benefits gifted students, who may otherwise never realizetheir full potential. Throughout the book, Pfeiffer equips schoolpsychologists with the tools they need to: Identify and assess uniquely bright and talented students Integrate multiple assessment measures including intelligence,cognitive ability, and achievement tests Assess gifted students with coexisting disabilities anddisorders Promote the abilities of gifted students using evidence-basedstrategies The book also includes extensive illustrative material, such ascallout boxes and case examples, that facilitate use as a quickreference, plus end-of-chapter "Test Yourself" questions that helpreinforce key concepts. Essentials of Gifted Assessmenthelps new and seasoned school psychologists and other professionalsacquire the skills and knowledge needed for ethical,evidence-based, and informed clinical practice with high-abilitystudents.

The definitive guide to the latest edition of the Cognitive Assessment System Essentials of CAS2 Assessment is a comprehensive guide to the successful administration of the updated CAS2. Written by leading cognitive assessment experts, the book discusses the latest research and thinking on PASS (Planning, Attention-Arousal, Simultaneous and Successive) theory and includes case studies that demonstrate the use of CAS2 with several types of diagnostic groups and integration with other instruments. A companion website offers additional tools and information to help busy professionals make optimal use of the CAS2. This is the first book to provide comprehensive, step-by-step guidelines for administering, scoring, and interpreting the latest edition of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS2). While the outcome of the test depends upon the child's performance, the reliability and accuracy of the analysis depends largely upon the performance of the test administrator. Essentials of CAS2 Assessment offers detailed insight on topics such as: Fair assessment of diverse populations Assessment of children with comorbid conditions Changes to the CAS2 rating scale and form Nuances of the three-tier model Each chapter in the book highlights key concepts, bulleted points, and actual test questions. The CAS2 is a valuable tool in the detection of learning disabilities, ADHD, TBI, retardation, and giftedness. Essentials of CAS2 Assessment is the guidebook professionals need to ensure the CAS2 test is applied and analyzed accurately so that the results can be applied to the maximum benefit of the child.