Milestones in the Development of Assessment
1800’s: Early Evaluation
1838 –
1850
Horace Mann advocates education reform in his annual reports to the
Massachusetts Board of Education.
1869
Sir Francis Galton, considered to be the father of the testing movement,
develops the first Comprehensive test of intelligence.
1883
G. S. Hall founds a lab to study children’s mental and physical characteristics.
1890
James Cattell publishes an article presenting mental tests as measures of
individual differences. He is the first person to use the term mental test.
1895
Joseph Rice begins to organize assessment programs in a number of large school systems.
1896
Binet and Henri (in France) publish an article discussing concepts of mental measurement.
Trend
Educators and psychologists show heightened interest in understanding the individual, believe
any child can learn if properly taught.
Early 1900’s: Educational Testing Movement (1914 - 1918)
1900’s
Wilheim Wundt (Germany) pioneers the measurement movement in his evaluation of response time
to stimuli.
1901
The College Board’s first college entrance exams are administered; essay format.
1904
Minister of Public Instruction in Paris appoints Alfred Binet to find a way to identify retarded children.
1905
First IQ test, developed by Alfred Binet and Theophile Simon, is published; Binet-Simon Scale
1914 1918
1.5 million soldiers need to be evaluated for service classification in the armed forces. Alpha (for
literates) and Beta (for illiterates) tests are developed and classification is made on the basis of
objective test information. Tests are made available for use with the general public after the war.
1914
Frederick J. Kelly develops multiple-choice test format.
1916
Lewis Therman translates the Binet-Simon Scale and adapts it for use in the US; publishes it as the
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale; introduces the term intelligence quotient.
1918
E. L. Thorndike, father of educational testing movement advocates measurement of human change.
Trends
“Unsatisfactory school results [are] to be traced to the native limitations in the inability of the
child or to the home atmosphere in which the child grows up.” Charles H. Judd
The need to train and mobilize forces mandates efficient, objective assessment of recruits.
1920’s: Efficiency in Testing for Practical Guidance and Placement
1926
The College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is administered in multiple-choice format.
1927
Edward Strong publishes the first edition of The Strong Vocational Interest Blank.
1928
Clark Hull’s Aptitude Testing suggests using standardized measures of aptitude to predict job
satisfaction.
Trend
Return of soldiers to civilian work force necessitates development of career counseling and
skill/interest assessment.
1930s: Connection Between Outcomes and Instruction/Accreditation Movement
(Norm-referenced tests developed for use in measuring individual performance levels)
1932
Many large school systems in the US use group IQ test results to assign students to ability tracks.
Colleges begin to base admissions decisions on applicants’ test scores.
1934
Ralph Tyler promotes inclusion of behavioral and content components in educational objectives.
1938
First Mental Measurement Yearbook is published.
Trend
Use of assessment is widespread among school systems.
1940s: The Need for Career Assessment and Counseling (1939 – 1945)
1939
The US Army establishes personnel and testing divisions to help soldiers adjust to civilian life.
David Wechsler develops the Wechsler-Bellevue IQ test; is first to see the IQ test’s capability to provide
insight into personality; understands importance of having a well-stratified sample.
1940
Army General Classification Test is published.
1948
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is formed.
Trend
Emphasis on applied use of test results calls for instruments to be aligned with standards.
1950s: Dissatisfaction with Public Education Parallels Technological Advancement
(Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik I in 1957)
1955
The high-speed scanner is invented; assessment becomes more efficient and less costly.
1958
National Defense Education Act endorses relationship between testing and career guidance and funds
identification of outstanding students.
Trend
Provide counseling for secondary students with outstanding aptitude.
1960s: Expansion of State-Mandated Minimum Competency Testing
1964
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (objectives-based evaluation) begins under the
direction of Ralph Tyler.
1960s
Robert Glaser is first to use the term criterion-referenced measures to refer to tests that assess
achievement of pre-specified objectives.
Trend
For a stimulus or concept to have meaning, there must be something in the learner’s cognitive
structure to which it can be related.
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1970s: Basic Skills Movement Parallels Use of Tests for Impersonal Categorization and Generalization
(Proliferation of Associations and Journals)
1972
The government creates the National Institute of Education (NIE), which focuses research on evaluation in
education.
1975
Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation
Trend
Variables within learners (cognitive/affective behaviors) and instruction can be altered to promote
mastery learning.
1980s: Demand for Alternate Assessment and Alignment of Assessment with
Content Standards Parallels Microcomputer Revolution
1980s
Computer-Based testing and computer adaptive testing develop and increase.
Alternate/authentic assessments are widely used to supplement standardized testing.
1981
Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation develops Standards for Evaluation of
Educational Programs, Projects, and Materials, the first organized statement of principles for sound
educational evaluation.
Trend
More attention is paid to integration of curricula, goals, and test content.
1990s: Focus on Outcomes Parallels Expansion of the Internet and World Wide Web
1990s
School systems use test results to evaluate effectiveness of individual schools.
1992
Graduate Record Exam is computerized.
19971998
Approximately 1 million students take computerized versions of tests, including the
SAT 1 Reasoning Test and the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Trend
“Today’s computerized tests automate an existing process without re-conceptualizing
it to realize the dramatic improvements that the innovation could allow” (G. K. Bennett).
2000s: Call for Recognition of Multiple Intelligences, Core-Subject Achievement Tests,
and Continued Emphasis on Standards
Trends
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The theory of multiple intelligences is creating changes in assessment and in education.
Achievement testing is being replaced to some extent by authentic and alternate assessments,
including portfolios.
There will be increased efforts to minimize bias in testing.
Some tests report both holistic and analytic scores.
More emphasis is being placed on assessment of cognitive intelligence and behavior.
A foundational principle of assessment remains the same: If it exists, it can be measured.
Ethical issues regarding computer testing continue to be defined and addressed.
The use of career inventories is expanding to new populations.
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