The Classroom Assessment Podcast Episode 10: Life and Legacy with James McMillan
Aug 1, 2025
James McMillan, Distinguished Career Professor and Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University with four decades in classroom assessment research. He traces his path from dissertation work to a lifelong focus on feedback, motivation, and how assessment affects student learning. The conversation highlights teachers' decision moments, bridging psychometrics and classroom practice, and a vision for discipline-specific, practical research.
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Early Influences Shape Assessment Career
- James McMillan traced his interest in assessment to his PhD at Northwestern and work with Don Campbell.
- He described collaborative ties at Colorado and Iowa, including meeting Lori Shepard and joining the SIG with Rick Stiggins and Jim Popham.
Theory Outpaces Evidence On Student Effects
- McMillan says the core drive of his work is understanding how teachers' assessment and feedback affect students.
- He argues we have theoretical progress but still lack strong empirical evidence on student effects.
Study Teachers' Decision Moments
- Work with teachers to learn how they detect student learning and decide to change instruction.
- Use qualitative studies to capture the moments and information teachers rely on for decisions.