September 17, 2025
Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning Series Preface
Authors:
Edmund W. Gordon, Stephen G. Sireci, Eleanor Armour-Thomas, Eva L. Baker, Howard T. Everson, and Eric M. Tucker
How might educational assessment become a catalyst for learning and human development? This question lies at the heart of the Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning series, Volumes I, II & III. This series provides a research-based introduction to the theory, design, and practice of assessment in the service of teaching and learning (Gordon, 2020; 2025). The Handbook echoes the call of the Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education to repurpose assessment from merely certifying ‘what is’ to illuminating how learning happens and how it can be improved (Gordon Commission, 2013; Gordon, 2025). The three volumes presented here respond to that call.
Gordon, E. W., Sireci, S. G., Armour-Thomas, E., Baker, E. L., Everson, H. T., & Tucker, E. M. (2025). Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning series preface. In E. M. Tucker, E. Armour-Thomas, & E. W. Gordon (Eds.), Handbook for assessment in the service of learning, Volume I: Foundations for assessment in the service of learning. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.