Commentary: Assessment is an educational tool.

Three articles in this issue, by Bloodgood and colleagues, Hauer and colleagues, and White and colleagues, address important issues in student assessment. They use different approaches to data collection and focus on issues as broad as pass-fail grading in the preclinical years to standardized patient testing and remediation in the clinical years. However, they all remind us that assessment should not be seen as an end in itself, and they underscore the many functions that assessment can play in medical education. Drawing from these three, the authors of this commentary suggest that assessment should be designed to provide useful information for both faculty and students, at the same time minimizing stress and competition and maximizing cooperative learning. The authors assert that assessment data need to be used and that consequences should be attached to performance. In the case of poor performance, the information gained should not be used punitively. Instead, it can be used for support and remediation, giving students tools for self-improvement, assisting them to be self-reflective and gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses, and making them aware of available resources when necessary.