Recent years have seen a revival of interest in the mechanisms by which students' affective responses to learning tasks moderate knowledge acquisition and skill development. Given the emphasis placed on levels of academic achievement in schools, the way in which students acquire knowledge through the learning process has become a primary concern. Several studies have subsequently highlighted the significant role that such factors can play in the learning process, laying particular emphasis on those associated with student engagement levels. The terms "school or task engagement" are often used to refer to such affective responses. While several lines of inquiry have now converged on the conclusion that these factors play a key role in student learning, findings vary considerably due to differences in definitions and approaches to assessing student engagement levels. The purposes of this overview are to (i) outline some key dimensions of student engagement based on an integrated review of relevant literature, and (ii) describe the various methods that have been used to assess engagement levels in empirical research studies. Specifically, the primary goal was to review approaches to assessing student engagement levels on a classwide basis, and to provide educators with a range of options for developing relevant assessment protocols within their own contexts.