Article Review of James H. McMillan’s
Fundamental Assessment Principles for Teachers and School Administrators
McMillan, James H. (2000). Fundamental assessment principles for teachers and school administrators. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(8). Retrieved November 18, 2005 from
In this article, the author presents his views on the importance of assessment in education and delineates what each professional educator should know about using assessment effectively. The author has separated his key points into sections. In the first few sections McMillan lists some of the pressures that effect assessment. He makes the point that each evaluator brings his or her own biases to the development of assessment instruments and that recognizing those biases are important in ensuring the creation of valid assessment instruments. McMillan also then explains the importance of understanding the difference between “measurement evidence” or scores and “evaluation” or the use of the data. He makes the point that a combination of these two skills is important in providing valid assessment of information.
Next, McMillan discusses what constitutes “good assessment.” He uses descriptions such s fair, ethical, feasible and efficient to describe optimal assessment instruments. For the author, good assessment instruments have a high degree of validity and free from errors, that it is used to direct and “enhance” instruction, and incorporates more than one assessment method. Lastly, the concept of technology in assessment is discussed. McMillan warns of the use of technology to “…contribute to the mindless use of new resources…” without clear thought being given to the effect of technology on the aspects of “good assessment.”
I found the article to be well written, clear, and concise in its discussion of the important aspects of what can be considered “good assessment.” The author does not go into specifics regarding how he defines “error”, nor does he give a definition of what constitutes validity in an assessment instrument. It is probable that the audience for which this article was intended would already have a working knowledge of these two terms. The author’s stated goal was to provide a new foundation of information on assessment and to provide several “basic principles” for educators to build upon in their quest for increasing their students’ educational horizons. The “basic principals” which the author describes gives the reader an excellent starting point on the road to understanding the importance of assessment in education.