Assessment Development

NFER has been developing tests and other assessments for many sponsors, including national governments, for over 70 years. We develop print and digital tests for summative or formative assessment of a wide range of topics and subjects, across a wide age-range. In addition, we have developed our own tests for Primary progress tracking and monitoring of the core subjects.

What is the purpose of assessment?

The purpose of assessment is a key question that determines how assessments are developed and used. The assessments we have developed for use in schools generally fulfil one or more of the following functions:

to provide opportunities for diagnosis of areas of learning that require further development/consolidation
to provide performance data on pupils to enable measurement of attainment and monitoring of progress
to provide value-added data
to monitor national standards over time
to allow for international comparisons such as PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA
to inform professional development and training for teachers.