Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know

by W. James Popham

Written with energy and wit, this reader-friendly text discusses practical ways in which teachers can use well-written tests to improve their effectiveness in the classroom. Exploring a wide range of classroom assessments as well as how these assessments can benefit student learning, the thoroughly revised sixth edition of Classroom Assessment retains its humorous tone and unique practice exercises while adding new research, new material, and new features. This edition covers both contemporary classroom assessment issues, including No Child Left Behind , instructor accountability, and formative assessments, while also covering traditional assessment topics such as assessment validity and assessment reliability. Three new chapters include fresh and expanded material on formative assessments, the evaluation of instruction, and properly grading assessments. In addition, a new section at the end of the book provides students with critical thinking exercises that involve real-world assessment issues and that cover central topics from each chapter. Another new feature teaches readers how to best communicate with parents about assessments and assessment results.

Genres: Education, Teaching, School, Textbooks, Nonfiction

370 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the most readable textbook I have ever encountered. I congratulate Mr. Popham. Plus, if you're going to be a teacher, assessment is pretty important thing to know about.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know many people enjoy the personalized commentary in Popham’s book, but I did not. I found too many of the parts of the book went off into personal narratives of I did this, or I did that, and I published this, and in my personal opinion, and I may be biased, but I think, etc. I found the side bars occurred too often and the personalized information distracting and not relevant to what I was trying to understand. It’s very wordy and not very concise.

It is written as a personal narrative about classroom assessment, which was hard for me to stay focused reading. Example, “complex syntax, although it sounds something like an exotic surcharge on cigarettes and alcohol, is often encountered in the assessment items of neophyte item writers” (P.169). Or, “I must confess to a mild bias towards this oft-used item type because for over 20 years I used such tests as the final exam examinations in an introductory educational measurement course I taught in the UCLA Graduate School of Education” (p.174). Another unnecessary sidebar, “I recently authored an essay appearing in an academic journal, whose articles are published in both English and Turkish. It was an invited article about the importance of providing actionable reports of students performances if any test is to be employed instructionally. Unable to speak or write in Turkish, I relied on oral translations of my English language blather. My analysis pleaded with our Turkish colleagues to report formatively oriented test performances of students so that they can be reported as readily usable “right size“ information. I hope that this is the main idea of the Turkish version” (p.343). I honestly don’t even know why that bit was in the chapter. There are multiple examples of this throughout each chapter of the book. It just makes the entire thing insufferable to read.

Bottom line, if this wasn’t a required for an upper level graduate course, I would have passed on it. It is not a book that I would have chosen to read, and one that would be better if it were as explicitly written as it proposes test items should be.

[Logan Harrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10:
I started reading this during the Spring 2022 semester for a class I was taking, but didn’t get around to finishing it until today, nearly an entire calendar year after starting it. This is a pretty solid resource as someone entering the field of education, but I don’t see it being much use to those who have been teaching for decades.

Not a perfect resource, but one that I’ll most likely keep in my classroom with me.

[Educator Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Popham provided a variety of information about assessment in a way that would be understandable to educators. My one issue with this book is that the author constantly used the phrase “as you can see.” Every sentence the phrase is in would be fine without the phrase.

[Kathy Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many times do you come across a textbook with personal stories and witty comments by the author? I wish I had discovered this textbook years ago. Straightforward and clear explanations of assessment jargon that all teachers need to know. I particularly appreciated the chapter on portfolios.

[Jacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic. Popham adds some humor to a dry subject.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is guilty of magniloquence but the book has important information and is useful for new teachers.

[John Garcia- Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly enjoyed reading this book as part of my Educational Measurement Class. This book is very thorough and well-written.


All the best,

John Garcia-Landry

[Meegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a grad school book this was actually really interesting. Definitely learned more about assessment and one of the few grad books that I will keep 👏🏻👏🏻

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some good information. Many chapters I absolutely agreed with and found very informative.

However, I think the main points could be greatly distilled into an even more useful, short handbook for teacher's to refer to as opposed to the full textbook.

Also very elementary teacher geared.

Only a teacher with one class of students would ever be able to implement some of the improvements suggested in this book.

I'm not discounting elementary teachers, but a lot of this text is overly idealistic and it's difficult to read as such.

This is the first textbook I read all 16 chapters of. I did not complete the extended exercises; but having read the entire text, I think, is quite an accomplishment.

Also, the last few chapters really are worth reading, despite some in the middle getting quite bogged down.

[Julianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

While extremely readable, this textbook was not one that I would recommend buying. Rent or borrow it if you can. Most of the information provided was what I would consider to be general knowledge among teachers and nothing that would be found to be new or enlightening. I found it to be rather repetitious and in need of some good editing. This was a fine supplementary text to my graduate course on classroom assessment, however I don't feel the need to hold on to it for future reference.

[Courtney Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

He uses a pretty casual tone, which makes it easier to get through. I kept thinking that it could use a better editing job, though, as some points are reviewed over and over. To me, one of the best things you can take away from reading this book is how to interpret standardized testing and the place that high stakes testing has in current classrooms.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly easy read. Very informative. Many parts went over my head simply because I have a hard time with data and statistics not because of the presentation of the author. Popham did a really good job of spicing up an otherwise boring topic.

[Cora Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better textbooks I've read. It was full of practical information and very well written. Would I pick it up and read it for fun? No. Will I keep it around for further reference? Quite possibly.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for every classroom teacher. If they were not required to take a course in classroom assessment this book will definately help!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book that had a major influence on how I teach.

[Bethany Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource, but definitely get the most up to date edition.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved what he has to say about assessment.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it felt a bit dry, but if you stick with it there is some hidden gems of humor that made me smile. I think this will be a good reference for learning to assess my students and my teaching as I start my career. It made me think about assessment in a new way and I am grateful for that.