WestEd researchers Ellen Mandinach (pictured right) and Andrea Lash (pictured left) are among a diverse group of international scholars who contributed to the recently published Handbook of Educational Psychology (Third Edition).

In their chapter “Assessment Illuminating Pathways to Learning,” Mandinach and Lash describe the changing role of assessment and data from use primarily as accountability measures to use for informing instructional decisions and supporting the teaching and learning process.

The authors suggest that policymakers, educators, and stakeholders recognize formative assessment and other sources of data as “beacons of information illuminating the path toward learning and competence for all students.”

This edition of the Handbook of Educational Psychology offers chapters on many other topics, and in each identifies, through critical syntheses, new developments in the field over the past decade with their implications for research, theory, and practice.

Sponsored by the American Psychological Association’s Division of Educational Psychology, the Handbook is a reference for scholars, teacher educators, practicing teachers, and policymakers.

Visit the Handbook of Educational Psychology, Third Edition resource page for more information and to purchase a copy.