overassessment

Overassessment is a situation in which individuals are subjected to more assessments, or to assessments of greater intensity, than is necessary to determine or support the intended goals. It encompasses multiple testing occasions, excessive data collection, and prolonged or redundant evaluation tools. While assessments can improve accountability, diagnostic accuracy, and feedback, overassessment arises when the burden of measurement outweighs the usefulness of the information obtained.

In education, overassessment often appears as frequent standardized tests, multiple quizzes, and continuous performance checks that cover overlapping content or unaligned outcomes. It can also involve excessive data entry, portfolio requirements, and test prep that consumes instruction time. In other domains, overassessment is seen in healthcare through overtesting and repeated screenings, and in workplaces through overly frequent or numerous performance reviews and feedback surveys.

Potential effects include reduced instructional time, student stress and disengagement, measured data that is noisy or redundant, higher costs, and inequities if larger burdens fall on under-resourced schools or individuals. Overassessment can obscure essential learning signals by focusing on test-taking rather than learning.

Contributors include policy incentives, accountability regimes, misalignment of assessment with learning goals, cultural emphasis on measurement, and practical pressures to document progress.

Mitigation strategies emphasize alignment of assessments with clear objectives, limiting the number of measures, using sampling and continuous improvement methods, and prioritizing formative assessments that inform learning. Transparent communication about purpose and providing time for instruction and feedback are important.

Related concepts include assessment fatigue and assessment overload.