The History of Educational Measurement

Abstract

This chapter on the history of educational measurement stresses that there are multiple related histories. The histories of areas such as the early foundations of educational measurement; the introduction of intelligence testing; the impact of the U.S. government on educational testing practice; the development of test theory, scaling, and item response theory; and the use of tests for selection and accountability are described. Concerns about testing and social justice voiced in the early 21st century reflect the fact that many of the early, and most prominent, thinkers in statistics, psychometrics, and educational measurement were closely aligned with the eugenics movement. Political forces that have shaped testing over the years are also described, since they are key to the direction taken by social institutions such as education. It is hoped that leaders in educational measurement will understand the field better when they understand how it has grown from its beginnings.