Theory and vocabulary for communication assessments

Efforts to respond to external and internal assessment requests in the speech communication field necessitate examination of both assessment vocabulary and the underlying theory of product/performance assessment. Standardization of terms for general assessment approaches, assessment methods, and assessment instruments is recommended by redefining the terms atomistic, analytic, holistic, and general impression. Also, use of systems perspective is recommended to help educators increase assessment validity by discovering more precisely the nature of what is to be assessed, that is, the parts, whole, and the relationships of parts to each other and the whole product/performance.