With the current push toward educational reform, there is great potential for innovation and change, particularly in large scale testing. One area where change is possible is in cognitive diagnostic assessment. Researchers in educational measurement and cognitive psychology are finally in a position to design tests targeted specifically for providing valuable information about students' cognitive strengths and weaknesses. This self-contained volume organizes what is known about cognitive diagnostic assessment in education, including its conceptual and philosophical basis, methods, and applications. The complete list of topics includes educational demand, philosophical rationale, construct validity, cognitive methods, test construction, statistical models, and unresolved issues (e.g., how to best translate diagnostic information into teaching practices). Leighton and Gierl present a comprehensive and up-to-date examination of cognitive diagnostic assessment in education.

"Today, more effort is being expended on educational assessment than at any time in the past. But often this assessment is done without full, or sometimes, any serious regard to the many advancements in psychological and educational research that could enhance the quality of this assessment. This book will be invaluable to those who wish to learn about these advances and how to apply them in assessment, including high-stakes testing."
-Robert J. Sternberg, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University

"Leighton and Gierl make a solid contribution by outlining how protocol analysis and verbal reports can be used to gather systematic information on how examinees think about and solve the tasks that appear on tests...This book is an excellent example of the work under way in educational measurement and psychometrics to address the challenges of educational improvement...The collective work presented in this book inspires hope and gives us every reason to take heart that the diagnostic challenge in education is very much on!"
Howard t. Everson, PsycCritiques