2024/11/21 by Andrew Ho · 1 voice
Decision Sciences · Social Sciences · #Educational Assessment and Improvement #Student Assessment and Feedback #School Choice and Performance
paper · doi:10.1111/emip.12662
openalex publication_date 2024/11/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/09
Abstract Educational measurement is a social science that requires both qualitative and quantitative competencies. Qualitative competencies in educational measurement include developing and applying theories of learning, designing instruments, and identifying the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts of measurement. Quantitative competencies include statistical inference, computational fluency, and psychometric modeling. I review 12 commentaries authored by past presidents of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) published in a special issue prompting them to reflect on the past, present, and future of educational measurement. I explain how a perspective on both qualitative and quantitative competencies yields common themes across the commentaries. These include the appeal and challenge of personalization, the necessity of contextualization, and the value of communication and collaboration. I conclude that elevation of both qualitative and quantitative competencies underlying educational measurement provides a clearer sense of how NCME can advance its mission, “to advance theory and applications of educational measurement to benefit society.”