1. Discuss comprehensively the significance of assessment.

Assessment is an integral part of instruction. It determines whether or not the goals of

education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement,
advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Assessment
inspire us to ask hard questions like: "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?"
"Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?" "Is there a way to teach
the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

Learners need to know not only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills
that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to
think critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and
knowledge our students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals
change the relationship between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an
active role in making decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is
being assessed.

While there are different assessment methods used by teachers, it can be noted that
assessments which are balanced, standard-based, valid, and flexible can provide teachers with
ongoing feedback about student progress. In particular, data gathered from assessments given
throughout the learning process give teachers the information they need to adjust their
instruction. Hence, assessment should be part of an ongoing conversation that helps all
students get exactly what they need to meet learning standards.
Individual students also directly benefit from carefully crafted assessment for they gain
confidence in their own skills and in their relationships with their teachers when the
assessments they must complete are aligned to the work they've done in class. A high-quality
assessment also provides second chances for students to succeed. It is not just a one-time
exam. Instead, frequent, formative assessments are given throughout the learning process, and
students know that they will be given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and show
growth. This takes some of the anxiety brought about by testing and encourages a more growth-
oriented mindset in the classroom.
For teachers, one of the biggest benefits of quality assessment is that they provide the
information they need to improve or change the course of their teaching. When assessments
offer an easy way to look at data about whether the majority of students have mastered a
learning goal, instructors can put that information to good use right away. Likewise, assessment
data is useful at the administrative level when it comes to revising and updating the curriculum. 
It thus provides actionable information to inform curriculum and instruction decisions to meet
students' needs. 
2. Choose 2 of the types of assessment and discuss their purposes and how they are
done.
a. The formative assessment is one which occurs throughout a lesson or unit and may take a
variety of forms. A teacher may determine what students know by question and answer formats,
checklists, or by paper and pencil assignments. Likewise, games such as Kahoot and Jeopardy
may assist in similar data collection. The informed teacher can utilize the results of the formative
assessment to re-engage or to modify the teaching plans to meet the individual needs of the
students (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-oneonta-education106/chapter/6-3-formative-
and-summative-assessment/).
This is the first attempt of developing instruction. The goal is to monitor student learning to
provide feedback. It helps identifying the first gaps in instruction. Based on this feedback you’ll
know what to focus on for further expansion for your instruction. A formative assessment checks
the quality of your material. Furthermore it helps identifying the strengths and weakness of
students.
b. Alternative assessment, often called authentic, comprehensive, or performance
assessment, is usually designed by the teacher to gauge students' understanding of
material. Examples of these measurements are open-ended questions, written
compositions, oral presentations, projects, experiments, and portfolios of student work.
Alternative assessments are designed so that the content of the assessment matches
the content of the instruction. Effective assessments give students feedback on how
well they understand the information and on what they need to improve, while helping
teachers better design instruction. Assessment becomes even more relevant when
students become involved in their own assessment, taking an active role in developing
the scoring criteria, self-evaluation, and goal setting, more readily accept that the
assessment is adequately measuring their learning. Authentic assessment include:
observation, essays, interviews, performance tasks, exhibitions and demonstrations, portfolios,
journals, rubrics, etc.