Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ebel&Frisbie (1991):
Simply put, a test refers to a tool, technique or a method that is intended to measure students’ knowledge
or their ability to complete a particular task. In this sense, testing can be considered as a form of
assessment. Tests should meet some basic requirements, such as validity and reliability.
Types of tests
Diagnostic Tests
These tests are used o diagnose how much you know and what you know. They can help a teacher know
what needs to be reviewed or reinforced in class. They also enable the student to identify areas of
weakness.
Placement Tests
These tests are used to place students in the appropriate class or level. For example, in language schools,
placement tests are used to check a student’s language level through grammar, vocabulary, reading
comprehension, writing, and speaking questions. After establishing the student level, the student is
placed in the appropriate class to suit his/her needs.
Proficiency Tests
These tests check learner levels in relation to general standards. They provide a broad picture of
knowledge and ability. In English language learning, examples are the TOEFL and IELTS exams, which are
mandatory for foreign-language speakers seeking admission to English-speaking universities. In
addition, the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) checks students’ knowledge of
Business English, as a prerequisite for employment.
Internal Tests
Internal tests are those given by the institution where the learner is taking the course. They are often
given at the end of a course in the form of a final exam.
External Tests
External tests are those given by an outside body. Examples are the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, SAT, ACT,
LSAT, GRE and GMAT. The exams themselves are the basis for admission to university, job
recruitment, or promotion.
Objective Tests
Objective tests are those that have clear right or wrong answers. Multiple-choice tests fall into this
group. Students have to select a pre-determined correct answer from three or four possibilities.
Subjective Tests
Subjective tests require the marker or examiner to make a subjective judgment regarding the marks
deserved. Examples are essay questions and oral interviews. For such tests, it is especially important that
both examiner and student are aware of the grading criteria in order to increase their validity.
Combination Tests
Many tests are a combination of objective and subjective styles. For example, on the TOEFL iBT, the
Test of English as a Foreign Language, the reading and listening sections are objective, and the writing
and speaking sections are subjective.
1.1.2 Measurement
According to educational experts
James M. Bradfield:
Measurement is the process of assigning symbols to dimensions of phenomenon in order to characterise
the status of a phenomenon as precisely as possible.
Campbell:
Measurement means assignment of numbers to objects or events according to rules.
Thorndike:
Anything that exists at all exists in some quantity and anything that exists in some quantity is capable of
being measured.
The word measurement, as it applies to education, is not substantially کافیdifferent from when it is used
in any other field. It simply means determining the attributes or dimensions of an object, skill or
knowledge. We use common objects in the physical world to measure, such as tape measures, scales and
meters. These measurement tools are held to standards and can be used to obtain reliable results. When
used properly, they accurately gather data for educators and administrators.
The term “Educational Measurement” refers to any device for the general study and practice of testing,
scaling, and appraising the outcomes of educational process. It includes administration and scoring or
tests, scale construction, validation and standardization, and application of statistical techniques in the
interpretation of obtained measures or test results. Some standard measurements in education are raw
scores, percentile ranks and standard scores.
1.1.3 Assessment:
Assessment is the systematic process of documenting and using empirical data to measure knowledge,
skills, attitudes and beliefs. By taking the assessment, teachers try to improve the student's path towards
learning.
The process of gathering information to monitor progress and make educational decisions if necessary.
As noted in my definition of test, an assessment may include a test, but also includes methods such as
observations, interviews, behavior monitoring, etc.
Assessment can be focused on the individual learner or all individuals together, like the whole class, an
institution or specific program. Formative assessment will give you an overview of your students in the
beginning of your instruction. It gives you the opportunity to still have the chance to improve your
instruction. Summative will give you the outcome of the whole instruction.
Purposes of Assessment
Assessment is central to successful teaching and learning. To determine the effectiveness of a sequence
of instruction, teachers need to gauge pupils’ progress in understanding what they want them to learn.
Assessment is the link between teaching and learning. It is important because without it there is no way
to anticipate what pupils will actually take from their classroom experiences and this might be quite
different from what was intended. Assessment helps teachers find out what has actually taken place in
pupils’ developing understanding during a sequence of teaching and learning.
Teachers may use a range of strategies that can provide information about pupils’ progress, including:
teacher observation of pupils engaging in classroom activities;
teacher observation of pupils’ performances;
teacher checking of pupil work;
pupils checking each other’s work and similar forms of peer assessment;
questioning to check for understanding;
end of topic tests;
exams; and
other tasks, projects and assignments.
1.1.4 Evaluation:
James M. Bradfield:
Evaluation is the assignment of symbols to phenomenon, in order to characterize the worth or value of a
phenomenon, usually with reference to some cultural or scientific standards.
Pre-assessment
Pre-assessment is a test students can take before a new unit to find out what the students need more
instruction on and what they may already know. Pre-assessment is a way to save teachers time within
the classroom while teaching new material. It is a great way to find out more about the students, what
they are interested in and how they learn best.
There are many types of best teaching practices. One of them is pre-assessment, which helps teachers
better understand their students when preparing lessons and activities to better fit the students in the
class. Pre-assessment is a test that can be administered at the beginning of the school year and before
new units. The same test may also be used for the post-assessment. Pre-assessment also helps the teacher
learn student's interests and individual learning styles of each student. There are many ways to
differentiate instruction for students that will help students take in information in multiple ways. All this
information can be organized in a way to help the students and teachers have an easier school year. It
can take place at the beginning of the school year and also before each unit.
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. Based on recent researches it shows that providing feedback to
students is the most significant strategy to move students forward in their learning stressed in their paper
"Formative & Summative Assessment in the Classroom."
Formative assessment
To provide immediate feedback to both student teachers regarding the success failures of learning, to
identify the learning errors that is in need of correction, to provide teachers information on how to
modify instruction, &also to improve learning instruction.
Diagnostic assessment
It aims to identify the strengths & weaknesses of the students regarding the topics to be discussed the
purposes 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 & to formulate a plan for remedial action.
End of instruction
"Teaching and Learning are reciprocal باہمیprocesses that depend on and affect one another. Assessment
enhances learning in the instructional processes if the result provides feedbacks to both students &
teachers. The information obtained from the assessment is used to evaluate the teaching methodologies
& strategies of the teacher. It is also used to make teaching decisions. When planning assessment, it
should start when teacher plans his instruction. Teachers made decisions from the beginning of the
instruction up to the end of instruction.
Summative assessment
To determine the extent to which the instructional objectives have been met; to certify student mastery
of the intended learning outcomes as well as use it for assigning grades; to provide info for judging
appropriateness of the instructional objectives: to determine the effectiveness of instruction.
Validity ensures that assessment tasks and associated criteria effectively measure
student attainment of the intended learning outcomes at the appropriate level.
There is a need for assessment to be reliable and this requires clear and consistent
processes for the setting, marking, grading and moderation of assignments.
Principle 3 - Information about assessment should be explicit, accessible and
transparent
Assessment tasks should primarily reflect the nature of the discipline or subject but
should also ensure that students have the opportunity to develop a range of generic
skills and capabilities.
The scheduling of assignments and the amount of assessed work required should
provide a reliable and valid profile of achievement without overloading staff or
students.
To what extent do students have choice in the topics, methods, criteria, weighting and/or timing of
learning and assessment tasks in your course?
Principle 10- Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer and teacher-
student).
What opportunities are there for feedback dialogue (peer and/or tutor-student) around assessment tasks
in your course?
End-of-term exams
Cumulative work over an extended period such as a final project or creative portfolio
Standardised tests that demonstrate school accountability are used for pupil admissions;
Why is summative assessment important for learning?
In the current education system, standard-driven instruction plays a significant role.
Summative assessment, therefore, provides an essential benchmark to check the
progress of students, institutions and the educational program of the country as a
whole.
Summative assessment contributes largely towards improving the British curriculum
and overall curriculum planning. When summative assessment data indicates gaps
across the board between student knowledge and learning targets, schools may
turn to improved curriculum planning and new learning criteria to assess and
improve their school attainment levels.
Short comparative assessments to see how pupils are performing against their peers
In our current education system, the purposes of both formative and summative assessment are not
always mutually supportive.
Traditional assessment — evaluation used for summative purposes — contains key diagnostic data for
teachers, but this information is perhaps too infrequent, or comes too late for appropriate action.
Selected response and formative written assessments, homework, meanwhile, and ongoing class
feedback all serve as valuable activities as part of a teacher’s evaluation toolkit, if used appropriately.
Official standard results like grades A-C may symbolise pupil achievement, yet they rarely incorporate
related learning factors such as readiness to learn or motivation. What’s more, grades are not
explicit to student progress, nor do they provide teachers with information that might further their
teaching methods.
Schools, then, should consider cutting the time teachers spend conducting summative assessments so
that they can focus on conducting diagnostic, formative assessments.
Interim Assessment
This takes place occasionally throughout a larger time period. Feedback to the learner is still quick, but
may not be immediate. Interim Assessments tend to be more formal, using tools such as projects, written
assignments, and tests. The learner should be given the opportunity to re-demonstrate his/her
understanding once the feedback has been digested and acted upon. Interim Assessments can help
teachers identify gaps in student understanding and instruction, and ideally teachers address these before
moving on or by weaving remedies into upcoming instruction and activities.
Examples: Chapter test; extended essay; a project scored with a rubric.
Norm-referenced assessment
This compares a student’s performance against an average norm. This could be the average national
norm for the subject History, for example. Other example is when the teacher compares the average
grade of his or her students against the average grade of the entire school.
Criterion-referenced assessment
It measures student’s performances against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards. It
checks what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education.
Criterion-referenced tests are used to evaluate a specific body of knowledge or skill set, it’s a test to
evaluate the curriculum taught in a course.
Diagnostic Assessment
Another type of assessment, which is given at the beginning of the course or the beginning of the
unit/topic, is known as diagnostic assessment. This assessment is used to collect data on what students
already know about the topic. Diagnostic assessments are sets of written questions (multiple choice or
short answer) that assess a learner’s current knowledge base or current views on a topic/issue to be
studied in the course.