NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES/NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education Center for Science. Mathematics, and Engineering Education Division on Research, Policy, Assessment, and Evaluation THE FOUNDATIONS OF ASSESSMENT: RESEARCH, PRACTICE, AND PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING Good teachers and good learners may be born, but they cannot reach their potential, or anything close to it, without a deep understanding of the learning processes and how they can be enhanced. Herbert Simon "The Sciences of Science Learning, " NRC Conference, September 6, 1996 Classroom pedagogy takes place in a complex ecology of beliefs and values, held differently and in different ways by pupils, parents, teachers, and administrators. The systemic approach to refortn is becoming common because it recognizes and responds to this complexity ... Paul Black and Myron Atkin, Changing the Subject: Innovations in Science. Mathemancs and Technolog Education 1996. OVERVIEW Proposed Study Objectives This revised proposal outlines a project designed to (i) synthesize and advance the scientific foundations of assessment, (ii) monitor trends in science and mathematics assessment in the U.S., and (i ii) improve public understanding of the purposes and meanings of assessment and test scores. These three connected activities reflect a particular vision: of an applied science of assessment that derives principles from basic science and builds on systematic analysis of human learning processes in specific content areas. At the core of this study is the recognition that advances in the science of human learning over the last two or three decades provide a powerful scientific foundation for 97-CBASSE-266-01 (revised) Page 1
