Kalinga State University

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
Social Studies
 TOPIC 6 – GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT

Topic 6 presents the general principles of assessment in the teaching-learning

process. Each principle was described in full details.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Identify the general principles of assessment;

2. Discuss why an assessment is a mean to an end and not an end in itself; and
3. Explain why there is no best assessment method.

Assessment is an integrated process for determining the nature and extent of student
learning and development. In order to make this process effective, the following principles
are taken into consideration.
1) Clearly specify what is to be assessed the priority in the assessment process. The
effectiveness of assessment depends as much on a careful description of what to
assess as it does on the technical qualities of the assessment procedure used. When
assessing student learning, this means clearly specifying the intended learning goals
before selecting the assessment procedures to use.
2) An assessment procedure should be selected because of its relevance to the
characteristics or performance to be measured. Assessment procedures are
frequently selected on the basis of their objectivity, accuracy or convenience.
3) Comprehensive assessment requires a variety of procedures. No single type of
instrument or procedure can assess the vast array of learning and development
outcomes emphasized in a school program. Multiple choice and short answer tests of
achievement are useful for measuring knowledge, understanding, and application
outcomes, but essay tests and other written projects are needed to assess the ability
to organize and express ideas. A complete picture of student achievement and
development requires the use of many different assessment procedures.
4) Proper use of assessment procedure requires an awareness of their limitations.
Assessment procedures range from very highly developed measuring instruments to
rather crude assessment devices. Even the best educational and psychological
measuring instrument yield results that are subject to various types of measurement
error.
Not best or assessment asks all the questions or poses all the problems that might
appropriately be presented in a comprehensive coverage of the knowledge, skills and

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 Kalinga State University
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
Social Studies
understanding relevant to the content standards or objectives of a course or
instructional sequence. Instead only a sample of the relevant problems of questions
is presented.
Even in a relatively narrow part of a content domain, such as understanding
photosynthesis or the addition and subtraction of fractions, there are a host of
problems that might be presented, but any given test or assessment samples but a
small fraction of those problems. Limitations of assessment procedures do not
negate the value of tests and other types of assessments. A keen awareness of the
limitations of assessment instruments makes it possible to use them more effectively.
Cruder the instrument, the greater its limitations and consequently, the more caution
required in its use.
5) Assessment is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The use of assessment
procedures implies that some useful purpose is being served and that the user is
clearly aware of this purpose. To blindly gather data about students and then file the
information away is a waste of both time and effort. Assessment is best viewed as a
process of obtaining information on which to base educational decisions.

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