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Philosophy of Assessment

Davonte Allen

Arizona Christian University

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Philosophy of Assessment

Assessments are tools utilized in order to assist students by improving their learning.

Assessments allow educators to determine what changes must be implemented, in order to best

teach their students (Teachings in Education, 2017). They are able to evaluate students’ learning,

to determine if they have the necessary comprehension to move forward, or if adjustments must

be made to ensure students understand the material, prior to moving forward. Standardized

assessments are used on a larger scale, to determine if there are limitations to students’ learning

(Teachings in Education, 2017). They should be used within the classroom to determine if all

students comprehend the information, or if additional attention is needed.

In the classroom, this can be achieved through formative, summative, or diagnostic

assessments (Teachings in Education, 2016). Summative assessments can be done in the form of

chapter quizzes and unit tests to evaluate a significant amount of new information. Formative

assessments can be completed during instruction to gauge students’ understanding, in the form of

white board activities in which a question is asked and students write their answer on the

whiteboard. Diagnostic assessments can be used at the beginning of a unit to determine future

lesson plans, in the form of a pretest (Teachings in Education, 2016).

As a teacher, assessments can be beneficial to evaluate comprehension, but it also

provides some limitations. For example, pitfalls of assessing can occur if reliability and validity

of assessments are not achieved. As an educator, it is crucial to ensure that assessments provide

information that is reliable, providing consistent results. In addition, it is crucial to ensure that

the data gathered from the assessment has validity, through accurate results (ChrisFlipp, 2014).

The best form of assessment in the classroom is a formative assessment tool. These tools are

utilized during the instruction period to ensure that students comprehend the information being
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provided. By using formative assessment tools, such as asking questions to the class and

allowing students to answer or doing white board activities, teachers can adjust the pace or

methods of teaching. This will allow for improvements in the students’ learning and gauge their

understanding, prior to a summative assessment. Formative assessments achieve validity and

reliability, providing accurate and consistent data from students directly during instruction.

Being a student at a christian university i've learned many ways of how my christian belief or

worldview looks through the eyes of education and how it has benefited me. Having that blessing

throughout God's presence has made an impact on my life more than I could ever imagine. I feel

as philosophy of assessment is seen in christianity because in the assessment it is by giving

feedback and monitoring it throughout the unit, but just like Christ as believers we’re learning

the path of righteousness from God as he’s monitoring our progress and growth in faith. In ​2

Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for

correction, for training in righteousness.”

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References

Teachings in Education. (2016, Dec. 17). ​Formative vs. summative vs. diagnostic assessment.

[Video]. Youtube. ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-YgK-l4Sg

Teachings in Education. (2017, Jan. 18). ​Purpose of assessments: The why? [​ Video]. Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZsz_j_z7A

ChrisFlipp. (2014, Mar. 17). ​Reliability & validity.​ [Video]. Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ltvDNAsO-I

King James Version​. James C Winston, 1993.