What is the purpose of assessment?

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	What is the Purpose of Assessment?

The purpose of assessment is to gather evidence of student learning—whether that evidence is provided to teacher, student, parent, district, state, or nation. It is important that learning be recognized for the complex process it is. Assessment should probe for depth of learning, apply appropriate measurement techniques, and understand that the full range of learning includes conceptual understanding, basic skills, and factual information.

Three related components of education are curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Curriculum represents the concepts, skills, and information students are expected to know; instruction is how that curriculum is taught to the students; and assessment is determining whether or not and how well students have grasped the curriculum.