PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT,

MEASUREMENT, AND EVALUATION

• As teaching is causing learning among learners, teachers need to be
thoroughly aware of the processes in determining how successful
they are in the aforementioned task. They need to know whether
their students are achieving successfully the knowledge, skills, and
values inherent in their lessons.

• For this reason, it is critical for beginning teachers, to build a

repertoire of effective strategies for performing their executive
function of assessment, measurement and evaluation of student
learning. This chapter is geared towards equipping you with the basic
concepts in educational assessment, measurement, and evaluation.
MEASUREMENT
• As used in education is the quantification
of what students learned through the use
of tests, questionnaires, rating scales,
checklists, and other devices.

Example: A teacher, who gave his class a 10-item

quiz after a lesson on the agreement of subject and
verb is undertaking measurement of what was
learned by the students on that particular lesson.
 ASSESSMENT
• It refers to the full range of information gathered
and synthesized by teachers about their
students and their classrooms (Arends, 1994).
• This information can be gathered in informal
ways, such as through observation or verbal
exchange.

• It can also be gathered through formal ways, such as

assignments, tests, and written reports or outputs.
EVALUATION
• It is a process of making judgments,
assigning value or deciding on the worth of
students' performance. Thus, when a teacher
assigns a grade to the score you obtained in a
chapter quiz or term examination, he is
performing an evaluative act. This is because
he places value on the information gathered
on the test.
 Educational Assessment: A Context for Educational
Measurement and Evaluation

• As a framework for educational measurement and evaluation,

educational assessment is quite difficult to define.

According to Stiggins and his colleagues (1996)

• Assessment is a method of evaluating personality in which an

individual, living in a group meets and solves a variety of
lifelike problems.
From the viewpoint of Cronbach, as cited by Jaeger (1997)

Three principal features of assessment are identifiable:

 the use of a variety of techniques;

 reliance on observations in structured and unstructured
situations; and
 integration of information.
Bloom (1970) has this to say on the process of educational
assessment:

ASSESSMENT characteristically starts with an analysis of the criterion and

the environment in which an individual lives, learns, and works. It attempts to
determine the psychological pressures the environment creates, the roles
expected, and the demands and pressures -- their hierarchical arrangement,
consistency, as well as conflict. It then proceeds to the determination of the
kinds of evidence that are appropriate about the individuals who are placed in
this environment, such as their relevant strengths and weaknesses, their needs
and personality characteristics, their skills and abilities.
ASSESSMENTS are continuously being undertaken in all
educational settings. Decisions are made about content
and specific objectives, nature of students and faculty,
faculty morale and satisfaction, and the extent to which
student performances meet standards.
Payne (2003) describes a typical example of how
assessments can be a basis for decision making:

 The teacher reviews a work sample, showing some column

additions are in error and there are frequent carrying errors.

 He/She assigns simple problems on preceding pages, with

consistent addition errors in some number combinations, as
well as repeated errors in carrying from one column to
another.
 He/She gives instruction through verbal explanation,
demonstration. trial, and practice.

 The student becomes successful in calculations made in each

preparation step after direct teacher instruction.

 The student returns to the original page, completes it correctly,

and is monitored closely when new processes are introduced,

From the foregoing example:

• It can be seen that there is a very close association between

assessment and instruction. The data useful in decision making
may be related from informal assessments, such as observations
from interactions or from teacher-made tests.

According to Linn, 1999- Informed decision-making in education

is very important owing to the obvious benefits it can bring about.
Foremost among these benefits is the enhancement of student
learning and development.
 Purposes of Educational Assessment, Measurement and
Evaluation

Educational assessment, measurement and evaluation serve the following

purposes (Kellough, et al, 1993):

• Improvement of Student Learning - Knowing how well

students are performing in class can lead teachers to devise ways
and means of improving student learning

• Identification of Students' Strengths and Weaknesses

through measurement, assessment, and evaluation- teachers
can be able to single out their students' strengths and weaknesses.
• Assessment of the Effectiveness of a Particular Teaching
Strategy - Accomplishment of an instructional objective through the
use of a particular teaching strategy is important to teachers.
Competent teachers continuously evaluate their choice of strategies
on the basis of student achievement

• Appraisal of the Effectiveness of the Curriculum - Through

educational measurement, assessment, and evaluation, various
aspects of the curriculum are continuously evaluated by curriculum
committees on the basis of the results of achievement test results.
• Assessment and Improvement of Teaching
Effectiveness -Results of testing are used as basis for
determining teaching effectiveness. Knowledge of the
results of testing can provide school administrators
inputs on the instructional competence of teachers
under their charge.
Communication with and Involvement of Parents in Their
Children's Learning - Results of educational measurement,
assessment, and evaluation are utilized by the school teachers in
communicating to parents their children's learning difficulties.
Knowing how well their children are performing academically can
lead them to forge a partnership with the school in improving and
enhancing student learning
 Types of Classroom Assessment

OFFICIAL ASSESSMENT
• It is undertaken by teachers to carry out the bureaucratic
aspects of teaching, such as giving students grades at the end
of each marking period.
• This type of assessment can be done through formal tests,
term papers, reports, quizzes, and assignments. Evidence
sought by teachers in official assessment is mainly cognitive.
SIZING UP ASSESSMENT
• It is done to provide teachers information regarding the students'
social, academic, and behavioral characteristics at the beginning
of each school year.
• Information gathered by teachers, in this type of assessment,
provides a personality profile of each of these students to boost
instruction and foster communication and cooperation in the
classroom.
INSTRUCTIONAL ASSESSMENT
• It is utilized in planning instructional delivery and monitoring
the progress of teaching and learning. It is normally done
daily throughout the school year.

• It includes decisions on lessons to teach, teaching strategy to

employ, and instructional materials and resources to use in
the classroom.
Airisian (1994) identified two basic methods of
collecting information about the learners and
instruction, namely:
• paper and pencil
• observational techniques.
 Methods of Collecting Assessment Data

PAPER AND PENCIL

• When the learners put down into writing their answers to
questions and problems, the assessment method.

• It evidence that teachers are able to gather includes tests taken

by students, maps drawn, written reports, completed
assignments and practice exercises. By examining these
evidences, teachers are able to gather information about their
students' progress.
 2 GENERAL TYPES OF PAPER
AND TECHNIQUES
• SUPPLY- requires the student to produce or construct an
answer to the question
Ex: Book report, essay question, class project, and journal entry

• SELECTION - requires the student to choose the correct

answer from a list of choices or options.
Ex: Multiple choice, matching test, alternate response test
• Observation- the second method that the teacher
utilize.
EXAMPLE: Watching the students as they perform certain
learning tasks like speaking, reading, performing laboratory
investigation and participating in group activities.
 Sources of Evaluative Information

Cumulative Record
• It holds all the information collected on students over the years. It
is usually stored in the principal's office or guidance office and
contains such things as vital statistics.
• It may also contain anecdotal and behavioral comments from
previous teachers. These comments are useful in understanding the
causes of the students' academic and behavior problems.
Ex: academic records, conference information, health records, family data,
and scores on tests of aptitude, intelligence, and achievement.
Personal Contact
• It refers to the teacher's daily interactions with his/ her students.

• A teacher's observation of students as he/she works and relaxes, as

well as daily conversation with them can provide valuable clues that
will be of great help in planning instruction.

• Observing students not only tells the teacher how well students are
doing but allows him/her to provide them with immediate
feedback. Observational information is available in the class room
as the teacher watches and listens to students in various situations.
Examples of these situations are as follows:

• Oral Reading. Can the student read well or not?

• Answering Questions. Does the student understand concepts?
• Following Directions. Does the student follow specified
instruction?
• Seatwork. Does the student stay on-task?
• Interest in the Subject. Does the student participate actively in
learning activities?
• Using Instructional Materials. Does the student use the material
correctly?
Analysis
• Through a teacher's analysis of the errors committed by students,
he/she can be provided with much information about their
attitude and achievement.
• Analysis can take place either during or following instruction.

• Through analysis, the teacher will be able to identify immediately

students' learning difficulties. Thus, teachers have to file samples
of students' work for discussion during parent-teacher
conferences.
Open-ended Themes and Diaries
• One technique that can be used to provide
information about students is by asking them to write
about their lives in and out of the school.
Some questions that students can be asked to react to are as follows:

1. What things do you like and dislike about school?

2. What do you want to become when you grow up?
3. What things have you accomplished which you are proud of?
4. What subjects do you find interesting? uninteresting?
5. How do you feel about your classmates?
CONFERENCES
• Conferences with parents and the students' previous teachers
can also provide evaluative information.
• Parents often have information which can explain why students are
experiencing academic problems.
• Previous teachers can also describe students' difficulties and the
techniques they employed in correcting them.

• Guidance counselors can also be an excellent source of information.

They can also shed light on test results and personality factors, which
might affect students' performance in class.
Testing
• Through testing, teachers can measure students' cognitive
achievement, as well their attitudes, values, feelings, and
motor skills. It is probably the most common measurement
technique employed by teachers in the classroom
 TYPES OF
EVALUATION
DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION
• It can also be called pre-assessment, since it is designed to check
the ability levels of students in some areas so that instructional
starting points can be established
• Through this type of evaluation, teachers can be provided with
valuable information concerning students' knowledge, attitudes,
and skills when they begin studying a subject and can be employed
as basis for remediation or special instruction.
• It can be based on teacher-made tests, standardized tests or
observational techniques.
FORMATIVE EVALUATION
• It is usually administered during the instructional process to
provide feedback to students and teachers on how well the
former are learning the lesson being taught.

• It asks, "how are my students doing?" It uses pretests,

homework, seatwork, and classroom questions. Results of
formative evaluation are neither recorded, nor graded but are
used for modifying or adjusting instruction.
SUMMATIVE EVALUATION
• It is undertaken to determine student achievement for grading
purposes.

• Grades provide the teachers the rationale for passing or failing

students, based on a wide range of accumulated behaviors,
skills, and knowledge.

• Through this type of evaluation, students' accomplishments

during a particularly marking term are summarized or summed
up. It is frequently based on cognitive knowledge, as expressed
through test scores and written outputs.
• This type of evaluation answers the question, "how did my
students fare? Results of summative evaluation can be utilized
not only for judging student achievement but also for judging
the effectiveness of the teacher and the curriculum.

Examples: chapter tests, homework grades, completed project

grades, periodical tests, unit test, and achievement tests.
APPROACHES TO
EVALUATION
• Norm-referenced evaluation is one wherein the performance
of a student in a test is compared with the performance of the
other students who took the same examination.

The following are examples of norm-referenced evaluation:

1. Karl's score in the periodical examination is below the mean.
2. Cynthia ranked fifth in the unit test in Physics.
3. Rey's percentile rank in the Math achievement test is 88.
• Criterion-referenced evaluation - It is an approach to
evaluation wherein a student's performance is compared against
a predetermined or agreed upon standard.

Examples of this approach are as follows:

1. Sid can construct a pie graph with 75% accuracy.
2. Yves scored 7 out of 10 in the spelling test.
3. Lito can encode an article with no more than 5 errors in spelling.
 BASIC GUIDELINES IN EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT,
MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION

• For any learning endeavor to be successful, the learners must

have answers to certain questions, like: where am I going? and
how do I know when I get there? These questions are part and
parcel of educational measurement and evaluation.
• The following are principles that serve as a guide to educational
assessment, measurement and evaluation (Clark and Starr, 1997):

• Teachers need to know how much they are doing;

• Students need to know how well they are doing;

• Evidence, feedback, and input data for knowing how well the students
and teachers are doing should come from a variety of sources;
• Evaluation is a continuing process to check on programs and modify/
adopt strategies to promote desired behavior;

• The procedures used for assessing student learning must be compatible

with instructional objectives;