Lesson 2.

Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation in OBE

Assessment is a vital element in the curriculum development process. It is used to
determine students’ learning needs, monitor their progress and examine their performance against
identified student learning outcomes. As such, it is implemented at different phases of instruction:
before (pre-assessment); during (formative assessment) and after instruction (summative).
With the directive of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to implement outcome-
based education across all programs (CMO 46, s. 2012), it is imperative that educators are aware of
the emphasis of OBE in terms of assessment. CHED defines OBE as an “approach that focuses and
organizes the educational system around what is essential for all learners to know, value, and be
able to do to achieve the desired level of competence”, (CHED, 2014, p.9). CHED recognizes the use
of appropriate assessment especially non-conventional methods to measure student performance.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Distinguished among measurement, testing, assessment and evaluation; and
2. Explained the meaning of assessment FOR, OF, and AS learning.
3. Identified examples of assessment FOR, OF, and AS learning.

Discussion
2.1 Measurement
Measurement comes from the Old French word mesure which means which means “limit
or quantity”. Basically, it is a quantitative description of an object’s characteristic or attribute.
There are appropriate measuring tools to gather numerical data on variables such as length, mass,
time, temperature, among others. In the field of education, what do teachers measure and what
instruments do they use?
Teachers are particularly interested in determining how much learning a student has
acquired compared to a standard (criterion) or in reference to other learners’ in a group (norm-
referenced). They measure particular elements of learning like their readiness to learn, recall of
facts or instruments like tests, oral presentations, written reports, portfolios and rubrics to obtain
pertinent information. Among these, tests are the most pervasive.
In the field of education, the quantities and qualities are abstract, unseen and cannot be
touched and so the measurement process becomes difficult; hence, the need to specify the learning
outcomes to be measured.
For instance, knowledge of the subject matter is often measured through standardized test
results. In this case, the measurement procedure is called testing. The same concept can be
measured in another way. We can ask a group of experts to rate a subject’s (or a teacher’s)
knowledge of the subject matter in a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. In this
procedure, knowledge of the subject matter is measured through perceptions.
Types of Measurement
Measurement can therefore be objective (as in testing) or subjective (as in perceptions). In
the example cited, testing produces objective measurements while expert ratings provide
subjective measurement. Objective measurements are more stable than the subjective
measurements in the sense that repeated measurements of the same quality and quantity of
interest will produce more or less the same outcome. However, there are certain facets of the
quality and quantity of interest that cannot be successfully captured by objective procedures but
which can be done by subjective methods such as aesthetic appeal of a product or project of a
student, student’s performance in a drama, and the like. It follows that it may be best to use both
methods of assessment whenever the constraints of time and resources permit.
Objective measurements do not depend on the person or individual taking the
measurements, in contrast, subjective measurements often differ from one assessor to the nest
even if the same quantity or quality is being measured.
Measuring Indicators, Variables and Factors
An educational variable (denoted by an English alphabet, like X) is a measurable
characteristic of a student. Variables may be directly measurable as in X = age or X = height of a
student. For those variables like “class participation” of a student where direct measurements are
bot feasible, we introduce the concept of indicators.
An indicator, I, denotes the presence or absence of a measured characteristic, thus:
I = 1, if the characteristic is present;
= 0, if the characteristic is absent.
For the variable X = class participation, we can let I1, I2,…..I8 denote the participation of a
student in n class recitations and let X = sum of the I’s divided by the n recitations. Thus, if there
were n = 10 recitations and the student participated in 5 of these 10, then X = 5/10 or 50%.
Indicators are the building blocks of educational measurements upon which all other forms
of measurements are built. A group of indicators constitute a variable. A group of variables form a
construct or a factor. The variables which form a factor correlate highly with each other but have
low correlations with variables in another group.
Example: the following variables were measured in a battery of tests:
X1 = computational skills
X2 = reading skills
X3 = vocabulary
X4 = logic and reasoning
X5 = sequences and series
X6 = manual dexterity

These variables can be grouped as follows:

Group 1 : (x1, x4, x5) = mathematical ability factor

Group 2: (x2, x3) = language ability factor
Group 3 (x6) = psychomotor ability factor
 In educational measurement, we shall be concerned with indicators, variables and factors of
interest in the field of education.
2.2. Assessment
The term assessment is derived from the Latin assidere which means “to sit beside a judge”
(Wiggins, 1993) which implies that assessment is tied up with evaluation.
Assessment is the process of gathering evidence of students’ performance over a period of
time to determine learning and mastery of skills. Such evidences can take the forms of a dialogue
record, of journals, written work, portfolios, tests and other learning tasks. Assessment requires
review of journal entries, written works, presentation, research paper, essay, story written, test
results, and others.
The overall goal of assessment is to improve student learning and provide students,
parents, and teachers with reliable information regarding student progress and extent of
attainment of the expected learning outcomes.
Assessment of skill attainment is relatively easier than assessment of understanding and
other mental ability. Skills can be practiced and are readily demonstrable. Assessment of
understanding is much more complex. We can assess a person’s knowledge in a number of ways but
we need to infer from certain indicators of understanding through written descriptions.
2.3. Evaluation
Evaluation originates from the root word “value” and so when we evaluate, we expect our
process to give information regarding the worth, appropriateness, goodness, validity or legality of
something for which a reliable measurement has been made. The end result of evaluation is to
adopt, reject or revise what has been evaluated.
Evaluation can help educators determine the success of their academic programs and signal
efforts to improve student achievement. It can also help identify the success factors of programs
and projects. The assessment data gathered by the teacher have to be interpreted in order to make
sound decisions about students and the teaching-learning process. Evaluation is carried out both by
the teacher and his/her students to uncover how the learning process is developing.
To summarize, we measure height, distance, weight; we assess learning outcomes; we
evaluate results in terms of some criteria or objectives.
2.4. Purposes of Assessment
There are three (3) interrelated purposes of assessment. Knowledge of these purposes and how
they fit in the learning process can result to a more effective classroom assessment.
1. Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Assessment for Learning pertains to diagnostic and formative assessment tasks

which are used to determine learning needs, monitor academic progress of students during
a unit or block of instruction and guide instruction. Students are given on-going and
immediate descriptive feedback concerning their performance. Based on assessment
results, teachers can make adjustments when necessary in their teaching methods and
 strategies to support learning. They can decide whether there is a need to differentiate
instruction or design more appropriate learning activities to clarify and consolidate
students’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Examples of AfL are pre-tests, written
assignments, quizzes, concept maps, focused questions, among others.

2. Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Assessment as Learning employs tasks or activities that provide students with an

opportunity to monitor and further their own learning – to think about their personal
learning habits and how they can adjust their learning strategies to achieve their goals. It
involves metacognitve processes like reflection and self-regulation to allow students to
utilize their strengths and work on their weaknesses by directing and regulating their
learning. Hence, students are responsible and accountable for their own learning. Aal is also
formative which may be given at any phase of the learning process (DepEd Order 8, s.
2015). Self and peer assessment rubrics and portfolios are examples of AaL.

3. Assessment of Learning (AoL)

Assessment of Learning is summative and done at the end of a unit, task, process or
period. Its purpose is to provide evidence of a student’s level of achievement in relation to
curriculum outcomes. Unit tests and final projects are typical examples of summative
assessment. AoL is used for grading, evaluation, and reporting purposes. Evaluative
feedback on the student’s proficiency level is given to the student concerned, likewise to
his/her parents and other stakeholders. AoL provides the foundation for decisions on
student’s placement and promotion.

Learning Resources:
4. Module
5. Google Classroom/Moodle
6. Messenger

Learning Resources:
1. Moodle
2. Schoology
3. Google Classroom/Moodle
4. Messenger

References:

1. De Guzman, Estefania S. and Adamos, Joel L. (2015). Assessment in Learning 1. Adriana

Publishing Co., Inc. Quezon City, Manila.
2. Navarro, Rosita L. et. al. (2017). Assessment of Learning 1, Third Edition. Lorimar
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City, Metro Manila.

3. https://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/assessments/04_s1_01_intro_section.h
tml
4. https://curriculum.gov.mt/en/Assessment/Assessment-of
Learning/Documents/assessment_of_for_as_learning.pdf
5. https://www.cloud.edu/Assets/pdfs/assessment/assessment%20_
%20evaluation_measurement.pdf
6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322908173_Difference_between_Assessment_Meas
urement_and_Evaluation_in_Science_Education