 WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

Assessment is the process of collecting data on student performance that is then used to evaluate (make
judgements about) the attainment of certain expectations, objectives, or outcomes.

Purpose of Assessment

- The purpose of assessment is not only to certify learners but also to help them understand
learning difficulties and the way to overcome these difficulties.
 WHAT IS EVALUATION?
- Evaluation is feedback from the instructor to the student about the student learning.
- Evaluation uses methods and measures to judge student learning and understanding of the
material for purpose of grading and reporting.

Importance of evaluation

- Evaluation provides a systematic method to study a program, practice, intervention, or initiative

to understand how well it achieves its goals.
- Evaluations help determine what works well and what could be improved in a program or
initiative.

o Assessment and evaluation are an important part of every teaching-learning process.

o The terms “assessment” and “evaluation” are often used interchangeably but they do not
always mean the same thing.

 ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION ARE CONTINUOUS ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM AND THEY
CAN BE BOTH INFORMAL AND FORMAL.

Informal assessments are those spontaneous forms of assessment that can easily be incorporated in the
day-to-day classroom activities and that measure the students’ performance and progress. Informal
assessments are content and performance driven.

It allows the teachers to track the on-going progress of their students regularly and often.

Examples:

 checklist
 observation
 portfolio
 rating scale
 time sampling
  event sampling
 anecdotal record

Formal assessments are the systematic, data-based tests that measure what and how well the students
have learned. Formal assessments determine the students’ proficiency or mastery of the content, and
can be used for comparisons against certain standards.

- Formal assessment is normally more overt and systematically planned.

- Formal assessment may take a wide range of forms, including teacher observation of student
performance.

Examples:

 standardized tests
 criterion referenced tests
 norm referenced test
 achievement tests
 aptitude tests

KEY TO EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION IS CLARITY ABOUT PURPOSE.

- There are two types of Assessment in terms of purpose.

 Formative
- The purpose of formative assessment is to provide teacher and student with feedback that can
direct future teaching and learning.
 Summative
- The assessment of participants where the focus is on the outcome of a program.

Formative Summative
In-class discussion Instructor-created exams
Clicker questions Standardized test
Low-stakes group work Final Projects
Weekly quizzes Final essays