Established in 1994, the BEAR Center conducts research on the integration of assessment (the measurement of individual students) and evaluation (the study of educational and social interventions). The core of this research is development and use of appropriate assessment methods for evaluating students, schools, and educational policy, and the reform of educational evaluation away from the use of inappropriate standardized tests. To these ends, BEAR Center has become a leader in the use of advanced analytic models and novel reporting modes that more accurately reflect the multilayered nature of education.