The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published findings from a full systematic review of common measures used to assess pupil attainment in literacy, maths, and science.
The review, undertaken by the Centre for Global Learning: Education and Attainment at Coventry University, identifies and evaluates measures of attainment commonly used to gauge progress in pupils aged 6 – 18. It highlights measures that fulfil important criteria such as providing information on the reliability and validity of test data, as well as practical information about test administration
In total, thirty-seven tests were evaluated as part of the review – each was assessed according to particular questions from the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations. These focused on the implementation utility, reliability, validity, and quality of norms of the assessments
To be included in the review, tests had to be:
- used to assess literacy, mathematics, or science attainment;
- published in or since 2000 — to ensure relevance of test content; and
- suitable for English-speaking 6- to 18-year-olds.
The review focussed primarily on overall measures of attainment, rather than considering cognitive abilities or specific skills.
The findings have been summarised within a newly launched, searchable database, designed to help teachers and evaluators make informed comparisons between assessments, and judge what would be most appropriate for their intended purpose. This resource is now publicly available, providing guidance for anyone looking to select appropriate measures of attainment in any of the core subject areas
It is also accompanied by a written synthesis which outlines the systematic review methodology used to form the database and provides accessible summaries about the range and nature of assessments available