Educational Assessment - Alternate Meanings

Alternate Meanings

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary the word assessment comes from the root word assess which is defined as:

1. to determine the rate or amount of (as a tax)
2. to impose (as a tax) according to an established rate b: to subject to a tax, charge, or levy
3. to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation
4. to determine the importance, size, or value of (assess a problem)
5. to charge (a player or team) with a foul or penalty

Assessment in education is best described as an action "to determine the importance, size, or value of."