Problem Solving Assessment with Curriculum-Based Measurement

Stanley L. Deno University of Minnesota Assessment occurs when a decision has to be made and someone wants information to inform the decision. The history of education and psychology is replete with evidence regarding the use of assessment to make screening, classification and placement decisions. Within the schools achievement testing has been conducted to provide information for evaluating schools and making system level comparisons. Most commonly, school psychologist assessment activities have been focused on aiding in the process of determining special education eligibility. Those assessments have been severely constrained by rules and regulations that have left very little room for reflective problem solving. While it is not appropriate to abandon role responsibility for classification and placement of students in special and compensatory programs, alternative conceptions exist for how assessment can serve to inform the wide range of decisions that are made while implementing educational interventions. The conceptual model provided here portrays assessment as directed toward problem solving.