An Overview of Judgment-Based Assessment

Abstract
Judgment-based assessment (JBA) plays an important role in the comprehensive evaluation of young children. By using JBA measures, we are able to collect and quantify the perceptions and impressions of individuals who have contact with a child to appraise child status and environment. JBA measures have great utility for augmenting, enhancing, and corroborating the information from formal, standardized measures. While some JBA measures evaluate behaviors examined by traditional assessment instruments, others tap traits that are somewhat ambiguous and often overlooked by more formal measures. The purposes, features, and appropriate uses of judgment-based assessment are addressed. Current research relevant to the use of this assessment type is discussed.