Memory and Metacognitive Processes Recruited During Educational Assessment

Abstract

Abstract Educational assessments are undertaken by millions of students in public school classrooms each year in the United States, starting in the elementary years. These assessments target a wide range of student knowledge and skill across a variety of academic domains. This chapter provides a cross-disciplinary review of research on memory, learning, and metacognitive processes recruited during educational assessment. The chapter covers the relevant psychological and educational literature on assessment and highlights some of the memory and metacognitive processes that are implicated in answering complex assessment questions. The review primarily covers research related to the cognitive processes involved in the assessment practices undertaken in kindergarten through grade 12 and in preparation for placement into higher education programs, and it chiefly discusses tests of verbal and quantitative reasoning.