Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Education
We measure distance, we assess learning, and we evaluate results in terms of some set of criteria.
Dr. Bob Kizlik
Updated June 3, 2014
Throughout my years of teaching undergraduate courses, and to some extent, graduate courses, I was
continuously reminded each semester that many of my students who had taken the requisite course in
"educational tests and measurements" or a course with a similar title as part of their professional
preparation, often had confusing ideas about fundamental differences in terms such as measurement,
assessment and evaluation as they are used in education. When I asked the question, "what is the
difference between assessment and evaluation," I usually got a lot of blank stares. Yet, it seems that
understanding the differences between measurement, assessment, and evaluation is fundamental to the
knowledge base of professional teachers and effective teaching. Such understanding is also, or at the
very least should be a core component of the curricula implemented in universities and colleges required
in the education of future teachers. Understanding the properties, purposes, similarities and differences
between educational measurement, assessment and evaluation is a fundamental component of the
knowledge base of professional teachers.
In many places on the ADPRIMA website the phrase, "Anything not understood in more than one way is
not understood at all" appears after some explanation or body of information. That phrase is, in my
opinion, a fundamental idea of what should be a cornerstone of all teacher education. Students often
struggle with describing or explaining what it means to "understand" something that they say they
understand. I believe that in courses on the subject of educational tests and measurements it is often that
case that "understanding" is inferred from responses on multiple-choice tests or solving statistical
problems. A semester later, when questioned about very fundamental ideas in statistics, measurement,
assessment and evaluation, the students in my courses seemingly forgot most, if not all of what they
"learned."
Measurement, assessment, and evaluation mean very different things, and yet most of my students were
unable to adequately explain the differences. So, in keeping with the ADPRIMA approach to explaining
things in as straightforward and meaningful a way as possible, here is what I think are useful descriptions
of these three fundamental terms. These are personal opinions, but they have worked for me for many
years. They have operational utility, and therefore may also be useful for your purposes.
Measurement refers to the process by which the attributes or dimensions of some physical object are
determined. One exception seems to be in the use of the word measure in determining the IQ of a
person. The phrase, "this test measures IQ" is commonly used. Measuring such things as attitudes or
preferences also applies. However, when we measure, we generally use some standard instrument to
determine how big, tall, heavy, voluminous, hot, cold, fast, or straight something actually is. Standard
instruments refer to physical devices such as rulers, scales, thermometers, pressure gauges, etc. We
measure to obtain information about what is. Such information may or may not be useful, depending on
the accuracy of the instruments we use, and our skill at using them. There are few such instruments in
the social sciences that approach the validity and reliability of say a 12" ruler. We measure how big a
classroom is in terms of square feet, we measure the temperature of the room by using a thermometer,
and we use an Ohm meter to determine the voltage, amperage, and resistance in a circuit. In all of these
examples, we are not assessing anything; we are simply collecting information relative to some
established rule or standard. Assessment is therefore quite different from measurement, and has uses
that suggest very different purposes. When used in a learning objective, the definition provided on the
ADPRIMA for the behavioral verb measure is: To apply a standard scale or measuring device to an
object, series of objects, events, or conditions, according to practices accepted by those who are skilled
in the use of the device or scale. An important point in the definition is that the person be skilled in the use