Chapter 1 Assess
Chapter 1 Assess
Learning Outcomes
INTRODUCTION
There is a lot of debate about how to assess learning, and especially about how to
evaluate performance. Our objective give us guidance on what to assess, because they are
written in terms of what the learners should be able to do. Based on these objectives, it is
very useful to identify all the activities and skills which the learners will carry out, the
conditions under which they will perform these tasks and activities, the possible results
which might be obtained, and the standards by which their performance will be measured.
Once again, we need to stress the importance of participation, and this is especially
important in assessment and evaluation. Learners should be actively involved in both the
development o learning objectives, and as much as possible in their own assessment. In
many education systems, assessment is used as a tool for sorting students for selection
purposes (progression to a higher level of education, higher rewards, among others).
Assessment where students are compared with other is known as norm-referencing. It is
much better if learners are aware of what they need to learn and what they have learned,
so they can set their own targets and monitor their own progress. Of course, teachers and
trainers should advise the learners, and guide them in order to help them learn; this is the
key role if the teacher. Assessment of learners in relation to a particular target or level of
performance is called criterion-referencing.
Assessment, measurement and evaluation mean many different things. These terms
are sometimes used interchangeably in the field of education. In this section, we shall point
out the fundamental different of the terms assessment, testing, measurement and
evaluation.
The term Assessment refers to the different components and activities of different
schools. An assessment can be used to student learning and in comparing student learning
with the learning goals of a academic program. Assessment is defined as an act or process
of collecting and interpreting information about student learning. Another source expands
this statement by adding that it is a systematic process of gathering, interpreting, and using
this information about student learning. It is a very powerful tool for education
improvement. It emphasizes on individual student or groups of individuals and on the
academic program of a certain educational institution. There are different purposes of
assessment such as: to provide feedback to students and to serve as diagnostic tool for
instruction. For this purpose assessment usually answer the questions, “Was the
instruction effective?” and “Did the students achieve the intended learning outcome?”
Assessment is a general term that includes different ways that the teachers used to
gather information in the classroom. Information that help teachers understand their
students, information that is used to plan and monitor their classroom instruction,
information that is used to a worthwhile classroom culture and information that is used for
testing and grading. The most common form of assessment is giving a test. Since test is a
form of assessment, hence, it also answer the question, “how does individual student
perform?” Test is formal and systematic instrument, usually paper and pencil procedure
designed to assess the quality, ability, skill or knowledge of the students by giving a set of
question in uniform manner. A test is one of the many types of assessment procedure used
to gather information about the performance of students, Hence, testing is one of the
different methods used to measure the level of performance or achievement of the
learners. Testing also refers to the administration, scoring, and interpretation of the
procedures designed to get information about the extent of the performance of the
students. Oral questionings, observations, projects, performances and portfolios are the
other assessment processes that will be discussed later in detail.
After collecting the assessment data, the teacher will use this to make decisions or
judgment about the performance of the students in a certain instruction.
Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of what is good and what is
desirable. It is the comparison of data to a set of standard or learning criteria for the
purpose of judging the worth or quality. Examples, in judging the quality of an essay
written by the students about their opinion regarding the first state of the nation address of
Pres. Benigno C. Aquino, evaluation occurs after the assessment data has been collected
and synthesized because it is only in this time where teacher is in the position to make
judgment about the performance of the students. Teachers evaluate how well or to what
extent the students attained the instructional outcomes.
Nature of Assessment
1. Maximum Performance
It is used to determine what individuals can do when performing at their
best. Examples of instruments using maximum performance are aptitude
tests and achievement tests.
2. Typical Performance
It is used to determine what individuals will do under natural conditions.
Examples of instruments using typical performance are attitude, interest, and
personality inventories, observational techniques and peer appraisal.
Format of Assessment
1. Fixed-choice Test
An assessment used to measure knowledge and skills effectively and
efficiently. Standard multiple-choice test is an example of instrument used in
fixed-choice test.
2. Complex-performance Assessment
An assessment procedure used to measure the performance of the learner in
context and on problems valued in their own right. Examples of instruments
used in complex-performance assessment are hands-on laboratory
experiment, projects, essays, oral presentation.
“Teaching and Learning are reciprocal processes that depend on and affect one
another (Swearingen 2002 and Kellough, 1999).” The assessment component of the
instructional processes deals with the learning progress of the students and the teacher’s
effectiveness in imparting knowledge to the students.
When planning assessment, it should start when teacher plans his instruction. That
is, when writing learning outcomes up to the time when the teachers assesses the extent of
achieving the learning outcomes. Teachers made decisions from the beginning if
instruction up to the end of instruction. There are four roles of assessment used in the
instructional process. The first is placement assessment, a type of assessment given at the
beginning if instruction. The second and third types of assessment are formative
assessment and diagnostic assessment and diagnostic assessment given during instruction
and the last is the summative assessment given at the end, of instruction.
1. Beginning of Instruction
Placement Assessment according to Gronlund, Linn, and Miller (2009) is
concerned with the entry performance and typically focuses on the questions: Does
the learner possess the knowledge and skills needed to begin the planned
instruction? To what extent has the learner already developed the understanding
and skills that are the goals of planned objectives? To what extent do the student’s
interest, work habits, and personality indicate that one mode of instruction might be
better than another? The purpose of placement assessment is to determine the
prerequisite skills, degree of mastery of the course objectives and the best mode
learning.
2. During Instruction
During the instructional process the main concern of a classroom teacher is
to monitor the learning progress of the students. Teacher should assess whether
students achieved the intended learning outcomes set for a particular lesson. If the
students achieved the planned learning outcomes, the teacher should provide a
feedback to reinforce learning. Based on recent researches, it shows that providing
feedback to students is the most significant strategy to move students forward in
their learning. Garnison and Ehringhaus (2007), stressed in their paper “Formative
and Summative Assessment in the Classroom,” that feedback provides students with
an understanding of what they are doing well, links to classroom learning. If it is not
achieved, the teacher will give a group ,or individual remediation. During this
process we shall consider formative assessment and diagnostic assessment.
Formative Assessment is a type of assessment used to monitor the learning
process of the students during instruction. The purposes of formative assessment
are the ,following: to provide immediate feedback to both student and teacher
regarding the success and failures of learning; to identify the learning errors that are
in need of correction; to provide teachers with information on how to modify
instruction; and also to improve learning and instruction.
Diagnostic Assessment is a type of assessment given at the beginning of
instruction or during instruction. It aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
the students regarding the topics t be discussed. The purpose of diagnostic
assessment are to determine the level of competence of the students; to identify the
students who already have knowledge about the lesson; to determine the causes of
learning problems that cannot be revealed by formative assessment; and to
formulate a plan for remedial action.
3. End of Instruction
Summative Assessmentis type of assessment usually given at the end of a
course or unit. The purposes of summative assessment are to determine the extend
to which the instructional objectives have been meet; to certify student mastery of
the intended learning outcomes as well as use it for assigning grades; to provide
information for judging appropriateness of the instructional objectives; and to
determine the effectiveness of instruction.
1. Norm-referenced Interpretation
It is used to describe student performance according to relative position in
some known group. In this method of interpretation it is assumed that the level of
performance of students will not vary much from one class to another class.
Examples: ranks 5th in a classroom group of 40.
2. Criterion-referenced Interpretation
It is used to describe students’ performance according to a specified domain
of clearly defined learning tasks. This method of interpretation is used when the
teacher wants to determine how well the students have learned specific knowledge
of skills in a certain course or subject matter. Examples: divide three-digit whole
numbers correctly and accurately; multiply binomial terms procedures correctly.
There are ways of describing classroom tests and other assessment procedures.
This table is a summary of the different types of assessment procedures that was adapted
and modified from Gronlund, Linn, and Miller (2009).
Other types of descriptive terms used to describe tests in contrasting types such as
the non-standardized versus standardized tests; objective versus subjective tests; supply
versus fixed-response test; individual versus group test; mastery versus survey tests, speed
versus power tests.
1. Objective test us a type of test in which two or more evaluators give an examinee the
same score.
2. Subjective test is a type of test in which the scores are influenced by the judgment of
the evaluators, meaning there is no one correct answer.
1. Supply test is a type of test that requires the examinees to supply an answer, such as
an essay test item or completion or short answer test item.
2. Fixed-response test is a type of test that requires the examinees to select an answer
from a given option such as multiple-choice test, matching type of test, or true/ false
test.
1. Mastery test is a type of achievement test that measures the degree of mastery of a
limited set of learning outcomes using criterion-reference to interpret the result.
2. Survey test is a type of test that measurers students’ general achievement over a
broad range of learning outcomes using norm-reference to interpret the result.
1. Speed test is designed to measure number of items an individual van complete over
a certain period of time.
2. Power test is designed to measure the level of performance rather than speed of
response. It contains test items that are arranged according to increasing degree of
difficulty.
MODES OF ASSESSMENT
Traditional Assessment
It is a type of assessment in which the students choose their answer from a given list
of choices. Examples of this type of assessment are multiple-choice test, standard true/
false test, matching type test, and fill-in-the-blank test. In traditional assessment, students
are expected to recognize that there is only one correct or best answer for the question
asked.
Alternative Assessment
Performance-based Assessment