The Classroom Assessment Podcast Episode 8: Life and Legacy with Sue Brookhart
Jan 30, 2025
Susan M. Brookhart, Professor Emerita and noted classroom assessment researcher, reflects on her shift from teaching to research and her influential work on grading and formative assessment. She discusses linking classroom data with measurement research, the rise of theory-driven studies, assessing co-regulated learning, and cautious integration of digital tools and AI in assessment.
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From Teacher To Researcher
- Susan M. Brookhart described moving from middle‑school teaching to a Ph.D. after a principal suggested researching education practices.
- Her 1991 letter
Grades Depend On What You Assess
- Grades are shaped both by how teachers combine scores and by what gets assessed in the first place.
- Brookhart shifted from grading to classroom assessment and then to formative assessment as the field expanded.
Measurement And Classroom Assessment Diverged
- Historically measurement researchers focused on large‑scale testing and distrusted classroom assessment practices.
- Brookhart argues formative assessment requires studying psychology and classroom actions, not just test metrics.