Making Sense of Assessment

Data for Instructional

Decisions

Fabian C. Pontiveros, Jr.

PNU Mindanao
Overview
Competence in assessment of student learning goes beyond
knowing what and how to use assessment tools to measure and
evaluate student learning. The assessment competencies of
teachers articulated in the Philippine Professional Standards for
Teachers (PPST) include monitoring and evaluating learner
progress and achievement using learner attainment data and
utilizing assessment data to inform the modification of teaching
practices and programs. In this session, participants will review
the basic considerations and strategies on how teachers can (and
should) make use of assessment data to guide their instructional
decisions in the classroom.
Eliciting Prior Knowledge
1. Why do teachers conduct Assessment of Learning?
2. Can Assessment data be used to improve instruction? How?
3. How do we interpret Assessment data to help improve students’
learning?
Session Objectives
At the end of the session, the participants are expected to:
1. Identify the important considerations in interpreting
assessment results.
2. Describe how assessment data can be used to inform
instruction.
3. Appreciate the role of assessment-driven interventions to
help learners improve.
Topic Outline
1. Purpose of Classroom Assessment
2. Role of Classroom Assessment in the Teaching-Learning
Process
3. Assessment and Instruction
4. Organizing the Assessment Data
5. Assessment-Driven Interventions
Purpose of Classroom Assessment: A Review
Q1: Match the following Assessment Tools with their corresponding
purpose.
Column A Column B
Assessment Tool Purpose
1. Formative Test a. To develop the skills or competency
2. Diagnostic Test b. To identify weakness or obstacles in
learning
3. Summative Test c. To certify mastery of learning
competencies
Purpose of Classroom Assessment: A Review
Q2: Which of the following Assessment Tools can help in planning
instruction?
A. Formative
B. Diagnostic
C. Summative
D. Formative and Diagnostic (A and B)
E. All the three types of assessment (A, B, and C)
Purpose of Classroom Assessment: A Review
Q3: What role does Assessment play in Instruction?

Q4: In the Instructional process, when does Assessment comes in?

Important Considerations in Interpreting
Assessment Results
Question: Do you know what GIGO means?
A: GIGO is a computer literacy term which stand for Garbage In
Garbage Out.

How is this question related our present topic on Assessment of learning?

Consider this Assessment Item
Sample Test Item:
1. Are there 12 commands in the Ten commandments of God?
(Yes or No)
Sample Students Responses:
5 Students said “Yes”
25 Students said “No”
Analysis of Assessment Data:
Does this data imply that all the 25 students who answered FALSE,
knows that there are only Ten commands God gave to us?
Tell the story of my real encounter with this question while viewing the TV
program “Who Want to be a Millionaire” (hosted by Christopher De Leon)
So, how is this anecdote relate to the term GIGO?

It means that the quality of the answer, depends on the quality of the
question. A garbage question (i.e. useless) begets a garbage answer; and a
garbage answer is worthless. It can not help shed light on the learning (or
knowledge) of the person.

What if we revise the question into:

How many Commandments did God gave to the people of Israel?
Suppose:
5 students answered “12”
1 student answered “2”
24 students answered “10”
Does this assessment data provides us with an information on who among the 30
students knows the number of commandments God gave to the people of Israel?