An exercise, task or activity undertaken by students nationally and designed to determine or measure the achievement of students in a curriculum area, often aggregated to provide an estimate of the achievement level in the education system as a whole at a particular age or grade level. Normally, it involves administration of achievement tests either to a sample or to a population of students, usually focusing on a particular sector in the system. The assumption is frequently made not only that national assessments will provide information on the state of education, but also that use of the information should lead to improvement in student achievements. (Source: Greaney & Kellaghan 2007).
