Volume III of the Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning bridges the gap between aspiration and application, by translating core design principles into practice through a collection of examples. This volume presents tangible "existence proofs" from a broad range of educational contexts—including digital learning platforms, PreK–12 classrooms, game-based learning environments, and skills-based credentialing programs. Each worked example can be understood through three complementary lenses: assessment as an evidentiary argument, as a feedback loop, and as a social practice. This framework reveals how thoughtfully designed assessment systems with actionable feedback can balance the need for evidence of learning. By showcasing assessments that are seamlessly integrated with learning and instruction, this volume advances the proposition that to assess is, fundamentally, to teach and to learn. It offers practical models and designs that embed assessment within instruction to cultivate skills and support meaningful learning.

Audience

This Handbook is intended for a broad audience, from test developers, assessment researchers, psychometricians, and learning scientists to educators, policy makers, and designers. It is a resource for anyone interested in using assessment to help learners learn. An indispensable resource, it guides policymakers and PreK-12 leaders in shaping the future of assessment, while offering developers and researchers a blueprint for designing and scaling the next generation of assessments for learning.

Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning Series Editors

Edmund W. Gordon, Teachers College, Columbia University (Emeritus); Yale University (Emeritus)

Stephen G. Sireci, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Center for Educational Assessment

Eleanor Armour-Thomas, Queens College, City University of New York

Eva L. Baker, University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, & Student Testing (CRESST), School of Education & Information Studies (SE&IS)

Howard T. Everson, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Eric M. Tucker, The Study Group