Abstract
This chapter focuses on developing a conceptual understanding of assessment for middle years students. The author provides a summary of assessment types, their purposes, and a set of assessment tools appropriate for middle school students. An intentional approach to assessment design is advocated. This approach follows three key principles: validity (measures intended knowledge/skills), reliability (consistent results across similar groups) and fitness for purpose (provides relevant information for intended purpose and stakeholders). When designing and planning assessment tasks for middle years students, the author recommends that teachers ensure the tasks are meaningful and fair to students and well aligned to learning objectives. An example of a well-designed assessment task for middle years students is explored. The three components of intentional feedback (feeding up, feeding back, and feeding forward) are explained and feedback strategies are provided. An eight-step process for developing effective assessment for middle years students is provided. Steps for designing an effective rubric are also included. Opportunities for using ICTs and AI in designing middle years assessment tasks are considered and guidelines offered.