Name-ID: PTD2019T04012 Reema Burhan Module (6) Task (1)

Number and Name: Module 6 – Reema Burhan

Assignment Number: 6

Teacher Name: Reema Burhan

Teacher ID: PTD2019T04012

Date of Submission:, May 2020

Word Count:

Declaration of Ownership: I declare that the attached work is entirely my own and that all

sources have been acknowledged:

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a) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

ASSESSMENT EVALUATION
In assessment, data is collected, reviewed and In evaluation, the student’s knowledge is judged on
used to improve the current performance. the basis of a set of standards.
Diagnostic in nature as it tends to identify areas Judgemental in nature as its purpose is to provide an
of improvement overall grade
Feedback is given and ways to enhance The extent to which the learning objectives have
performance are devised been achieved is measured
Is formative Is summative
Focuses on the process Focuses on the product
Is based on feedback and negative and positive Is based on the quality level according to the fixed
elements standards
Caters for reflection Is inflexible
Both the assessor and the assessee have a say in The criteria is set by the evaluator
defining the criteria

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION:

 Both assess the student to see if he has met certain learning criteria or not.
 Both are evidence-driven.
 Both are used in the learning journey of the student.

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b) PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
The following are the main principles of assessment:

1. Validity

This means that the assessment that is to be taken should be designed to meet the intended
learning outcomes at the correct level. E.g.
 Students should not be given an assessment on “the water cycle” when the purpose was to
test their knowledge of the “life cycle of a butterfly”.
 The assessment should not focus on the students’ understanding of verbs when the purpose
was to assess their understanding of nouns.
 The marking criteria should not focus on writing skills when the purpose of the assessment is
to test the students’ knowledge of “the digestive system”.
 The assessment should not be set to the level of Year 8 Maths when it is intended to assess
the students of Year 7.

2. Reliability and Consistency

There should be a clear and consistent process of setting the assessment questions and the
marking criteria, grading and moderating the assessments. E.g.
 An assessment should not just contain “TRUE / FALSE” questions as some students may
score well by pure chance instead of because of their understanding of it.
 The marking scheme should be set according to the number and level of the tasks in the
question.
 If objective-type questions are given, they should cover a lot of content, in order to make the
test more reliable.
 The marking criteria and rubrics should be consistent across all year groups taking the test,
so that marking is fair even if it is being done by different teachers.
 Marking tests question by question instead of student by student increases their fairness
and reliability.
 The assessment should be conducted in a similar environment for all students.
 The marking should be done in a similar environment as the teacher’s mood can have an
effect on it.

3. Clarity and Accuracy

Information about the assessment and the instructions in it should be clear, accurate, transparent,
and accessible to both the students and the examiners, whether they are internal or external. E.g.

 The students should know exactly what is expected of them, in order to be able to achieve
maximum marks in each question. Rubrics should be provided as guidelines.
 The language of instruction should be clear and understandable to all, with no ambiguity.
 The marking scheme should accompany each question to help the students answer
accordingly.
 The time-frame for the assessment should be clarified beforehand.
 The students should know beforehand whether they are allowed any resources such as
calculators, geometry-sets, colouring pencils, etc.

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4. Inclusion and Equity

Care should be taken to ensure that all groups of students, including those with disabilities are
catered for in the assessment, without compromising on academic standards. E.g.
 The font-size in the assessment should be readable to all. In case there is a visually impaired
student, the size should be adjusted to suit his or her needs.
 In an assessment which requires students to listen to a recording, there should be enough
headphones / earphones for all the students, and those with hearing difficulties should be
appropriately catered for.
 When not testing language skills, the same standard of questions, but in a simpler language
should be set for students whose native language is not the one they are taking the
assessment in.
 SEN students should be assessed according to their abilities, as much as possible.
 The assessment should not be too challenging or too easy but should be accessible for
students of all levels of ability.

5. Relevance

The assessment should include a part of the curriculum and should relate directly to the
curriculum goals and learning objectives. Students should be able to build a range of skills
through it. E.g.

 If the students are required to be able to write and solve one-step algebraic equations, the
question should be designed in such a way that enables them to do so, rather than give
them a two-step equation which is not included in their curriculum at the moment.
 If the learning outcome was to be able to interpret time graphs, these should be presented
in a variety of ways to test the students’ understanding, application and analysis level if
applicable, and to help them develop as many other skills as possible.
 To assess students’ understanding of the life cycle of a butterfly, they could be asked to draw
it / label the stages on the pictures provided / briefly outline each stage / give a detailed
description of each stage / ask a question which requires them to develop their higher order
thinking skills.
 Maths assessments could include questions that require students to build upon their
previously learnt skills such as times tables, division, etc.

6. Timely Manageable

The assessments or assignments set for the students should be reasonable in amount, able to be
completed and marked on time, and should not overburden either the staff or the students. E.g.

 Having a variety of objective-type questions that cover a lot of content can be useful when
there are a great many students to assess, and the deadline to mark the assessments is very
close.
 Having a combination of objective and subjective type questions is ideal as it makes the
assessment more reliable, but then the number of questions should be limited to a
reasonable amount so that they can be answered and checked on time.

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 When in-depth knowledge needs to be assessed, subjective type questions should be given,
but then there should not be too many, otherwise the students will not be able to finish
them on time.
 Tasks such as creating portfolios should also be given a reasonable time frame so as not to
overburden the students.

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c) DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT:

 Diagnostic assessments are used to assess a student’s knowledge and skills prior to
beginning learning, and establish their areas of strengths and weaknesses in the
subject or topic.
 The main purpose of diagnostic assessment is to find out the extent of the student’s
previous learning, rather than to assign a grade.
 The data collected from the assessment is then used to create an action plan to map
the path of learning of the student.
 Diagnostic assessments can be taken at the beginning of the academic year, topic, or
lesson.
 Examples of diagnostic assessment are KWL charts, quizzes, group discussions,
written assessment and surveys.
Strengths:

 Help identify student gaps to guide future instruction.

 Can help the teacher plan the curriculum accordingly.
 Can help in supporting students for better learning.
 Can be helpful in comparing student progress before and after learning.
Weaknesses:

 Can create a biased impression in the teacher’s mind about the student.
 Cannot be used to assign a grade.
 As they are not graded, students may not take them seriously.
 Some students who have no or very little knowledge might lose their confidence
right at the start of the lesson.
 Can only be taken at the beginning of a topic, course or unit.
 Feedback might not be given to students, so they might not be aware of where they
stand.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:

 Formative assessments are taken during the course of learning, to assess the
understanding of the students about what has just been explained. This usually
recurs at intervals throughout the lesson.
 The data gathered from this type of assessment is used to inform the teacher about
any existing misconceptions and allows her to map the path of learning accordingly.
 Formative assessments can be taken at any time, i.e., before, during or after a
lesson.

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 Examples of formative assessment are hinge questions, hand symbols, questions that
can quickly be answered on the white-board or on mini whiteboards, quizzes, role-
play, oral questioning, group discussions, etc.
Strengths:

 Students become aware of their progress and realize their goals.

 Teachers understand where the learning gaps are and clarify misconceptions.
 Teaching is readjusted to suit the needs and learning pace of the students.
 Can help students to be alert and attentive in the class.
 Feedback is given immediately.
 Can help personalize learning.
 Can be taken at any time.
 Can be assigned in a variety of ways.
Weaknesses:

 Are not used for grading purposes.

 Some students might not take them seriously as no grade is assigned.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT:

 Summative assessments are taken at the end of a unit, course or academic year to
evaluate the student’s learning.
 In summative assessments, students are usually assigned a score or a grade.
 The data obtained from this type of assessment is used to measure the student’s
achievement against a set of standards, and to create an action plan on its basis for
the next academic term or year.
 Examples of summative assessments are written exams, which can include objective
and subjective questions, viva, portfolios and project work, etc.
Strengths:

 Measure student achievement against standard learning outcomes.

 Can be used for grading purposes.
 Enable students to master skills and knowledge.
 Can be assigned in a variety of ways.
 Can be used to check the in-depth knowledge of students.
Weaknesses:

 Teaching cannot be readjusted at this point to support learning.

 Students cannot revisit the topic at this point to improve their progress.
 Can be intimidating for some students who may not be able to perform as well as
they usually do in class.
 Might not be truly reflective of the student’s capabilities if taken in unusual
circumstances, e.g. if the student is ill, or mentally disturbed.

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CRITERION REFERENCED ASSESSMENT

 Criterion referenced assessments are those assessments which measure a student’s

performance against a fixed, pre-determined criteria.
 These assessments test the students on a specific body of learning or a specific skill
set in the curriculum, and there are clear, written descriptions of what students are
expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education. 
 Criterion referenced tests require a certain score or percentage to be achieved for
the student to pass.
 Criterion referenced tests may be used to make important decisions about students,
educators, schools, or districts—or to measure the academic achievement of
individual students, identify learning difficulties, or make changes in instructions.
 These can include both objective and subjective questions.
Strengths:

 Are good for tracking the progress of a student within a curriculum.

 Can be developed at the classroom level, and areas of improvement can be
addressed by the teacher for specific students.
 Test questions can be designed to match specific learning objectives.
 Feedback can be given immediately.
Weaknesses:

 They require a lot of time to create.

 Results cannot be generalized beyond the specific course or program.
 Cannot be used to measure the performance of large groups.
 It is relatively easier for students to gain access to such tests prior to the exam.

NORM REFERENCED ASSESSMENTS:

 These are standardized assessments which are designed to compare the

achievement of students in relation to one another. They determine whether a test-
taker performed better or worse than an average student.
 These assessments are usually used to compare a student’s performance against a
national or other norm group.
 Norm-referenced tests are usually based on some form of national standard.
 These tests often contain multiple-choice questions, although some may include
short, open-ended questions.
 Common examples of norm referenced tests are IQ tests.
Strengths:

  It does not enforce any expectation of what all students should know or be able to
achieve other than what they are actually achieving.
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 Current levels of performance are accepted as facts, not as defects.

 Targets of students are not raised each year until all have reached a certain level of
attainment.
 Scores are not required to show continuous improvement.
Weaknesses:

 It cannot measure student achievement against a set standard of learning outcomes.

 It cannot be used to raise the achievement of students against new standards.
 It can only be used for comparison of student performance within a group.

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES
Diagnostic, formative, summative and Norm referenced assessments are designed
criterion referenced assessments are all to compare students’ performance within a
used to measure students’ learning. group, rather than measure students’
achievement against a fixed set of standards.
Diagnostic and formative assessments are Summative assessments only measure
used to inform teaching and map the student achievement against the learning
path of learning. Accordingly, goals or curriculum standards.
misconceptions are clarified, and They can be used for curriculum planning but
teaching is adapted to support students’ for the next year/term rather than the
future learning. current one.
Diagnostic assessments are taken prior to Formative assessments can be taken any
beginning a new topic, course or time, and summative assessments are taken
academic year. at the end of a unit, course or academic year.
Diagnostic and formative assessments are Summative assessments are used for grading
not used for grading purposes. purposes.
In diagnostic assessments, prior learning In formative assessments, feedback is given
is assessed, feedback might not be given to the students as well as the actions they
to the student, and the next steps of should next take to improve their learning, in
teaching are planned. addition to the teacher’s planning ahead. In
summative assessments, feedback is only
given through a score, percentage or grade,
but there is no feeding forward.

PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT BEFORE A LESSON

The assessment taken before a lesson is usually called a diagnostic assessment, or
“Assessment for Learning”. The purpose of taking this assessment is to gauge the previous
understanding of the students on the topic that is about to be taught. This helps the teacher
identify the level her students are currently at, and what she needs to do to take them from
there to the point where their learning objectives can be met. Diagnostic assessments can
be extremely useful in mapping the path of learning, especially when

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 the students are new to the teacher or vice-versa. If a student has joined from a
different school, there might not be any background data available for the teacher to
know where the student stands in her subject. In such a case, diagnostic tests (e.g.,
entrance tests) can prove extremely useful in identifying any gaps that exist.
 The teacher can then work out how to best support her students. SEN students can
also be identified in this manner, if there is no previous data available, and a learning
support system and individual education plan can be set up for them.
 A plan for extra coaching can be made for students who are far behind the others in
the topic.
 If the majority of the students are not at the required pre-requisite level, the teacher
might need to change her original planning and come up with a different set of
activities to first bring her students up to that level.
 Formative assessments can also be taken at the start of a lesson to assess the prior
learning of the students (e.g. on the lesson taught before this one). In this way, any
misconceptions can be identified, and clarified on the spot before moving further.
 It must be kept in mind that such assessments are not used for grading purposes, but
rather to plan the curriculum and map the path of teaching.
 Students who have no or very little prior knowledge of the topic might lose their
confidence right at the start of the lesson. It is up to the teacher to motivate and
guide them properly and instill confidence in them.

PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT DURING A LESSON

The purpose of assessing the students during a lesson is to gauge whether what has
just been taught has been absorbed correctly by them or not. For this purpose,
formative assessments such as oral questioning, whiteboards, raising of hands or
fingers and hinge-based questions are used. These are short, quick ways of assessing
whether the students are on the right track or not. Such an assessessment is called
“Assessment as learning”.
 If the majority answer correctly, the lesson can proceed as planned.
 If, however, most are still unclear, the topic can be revisited, and any misconceptions
clarified before proceeding further.
 If only a few are unclear, the teacher can take aside that minority to re-explain the
concept, while setting the rest a task related to what they just learnt.
 Alternatively, she can make use of peer tutoring and ask the students who have
understood to explain the concept to the ones who haven’t, in pairs.
 Formative assessment during a lesson is thus, an extremely effective tool for
teaching.
 It is also a good way of engaging the students and keeping them alert and focused in
class.
 As feedback is given immediately, students also become aware of their own learning
and start taking responsibility of it.

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 Assessment during a lesson might be intimidating for some students who feel
hesitant in answering out loud in class. Nevertheless, if encouraged and dealt with in
the right manner, it might help build their confidence to speak and express their
opinions in the class.
 Again, the purpose of assessment during a lesson is not to assign a grade, but rather
to check and decide the direction of learning of the students.

PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT AFTER THE LESSON

The purpose of assessment after a lesson is to see whether what was taught that day has
been clearly understood by the students or not. This could be in the form of an exit card,
oral or written answers, hand symbols, whiteboards, etc. This type of assessment is called
“Assessment of Learning”. The teacher analyses whether the concept taught has been
clearly conveyed or not, and accordingly plans out the next steps of action.

 This type of assessment is also important as the next lesson is planned on the basis
of the outcome of this assessment. If the concept appears unclear to most, it must
be revisited in the next class.
 If approximately half of the class has not understood, the starter of the next lesson
could be spent in peer tutoring.
 If it appears clear to all, the next lesson can proceed as originally planned.
 If a small minority is still unclear, they could be taken aside for a few minutes before
the start of the next lesson, to clarify their misconceptions, so that they are ready to
proceed further with the rest.
Each type of assessment, whether it is taken before the lesson, during or after it, has its own
importance and is necessary for effective teaching to take place. It is important to take the
right type of assessment at the right time on order for it to be effective.

d) THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATING ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

TO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
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Communicating assessment information to other stakeholders such as parents,

management and teachers is important and can help in a variety of ways.
Communication with parents:

 Sharing a child’s assessment information with his or her parents can help in early
identification of any developmental issues or special education needs in the child. An
individual education plan can then be mapped out for such a student and learning
support can be arranged for him from the start.
 Areas of improvement can be highlighted and conveyed to parents with suggestions for
extra practice or support at home. The parents can then monitor this, and thus help
their child overcome his weaknesses in the subject.
 A student may be underperforming because of some issues at home (e.g. conflict
between parents) or with his peers at school (e.g. being bullied by someone). In both
cases, notifying the parents about his performance can help uncover the underlying
issues and come up with a solution to the problem.
 Conveying assessment information to parents also helps in identifying gifted and
talented students, who can then be challenged to their full potential, with a proper plan.
 Conveying assessment information provides for overall transparency and enhances
parent-teacher communication.

Communication with the Management:

 Sharing assessment information with the management can help in identifying needs and
providing students with resources that might help improve the level of learning in the
class, e.g. subscription to Mathletics for improving mental Maths, etc.
 The management can also make arrangements for extra support for the SEN students,
such the provision of learning support assistants, etc. and the creation of individualised
education plans.
 Ways of stretching and challenging the gifted and talented students can also be
arranged, e. by the management, e.g. a timetable with extra classes for them, or a
special teacher to polish their skills, etc.
 The management will also ensure that these results are communicated with parents so
that they are up-to-date with their child’s progress.
 The assessment results can be used for school-wide planning and revising the curriculum
in order to improve learning.
Communication with Teachers:
The following work particularly well for secondary students where different teachers teach
the same student:

 Sharing assessment results with other teachers can give an insight about the general
abilities of the student and whether it is just one subject in which he or she is

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underperforming or not. If that is the case, further investigations can be carried out as to
why he is not doing well in just one subject and what could be done to rectify this.
 If a student is doing better in one particular subject in comparison with the rest, the
other teachers could benefit by learning of any special techniques that are being carried
out, which work particularly well with him.
 Sharing assessment results with other teachers can also help uncover any ongoing issues
with the student that they might be aware of, which might be causing him to
underperform.
 Successful teachers can share effective action plans with each other that can bring about
improvement in the performance of the students.
DRAWBACKS OF COMMUNICATING ASSESSMENT RESULTS TO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS:

 Some parents may become defensive of their child on receiving negative feedback, and
might refuse to cooperate in supporting him or her at home.
 Some parents might not be tactful in dealing with an underperforming child and might
put extra pressure on him, thus causing him even more stress, and further damaging his
performance and his confidence.
 Parents might feel that their privacy is being invaded if asked the reason for a child
appearing mentally disturbed or not performing to expectations.
 Parents might panic and feel despair instead of arriving at a solution to the problem.
 Sharing assessment results with other teachers could cause them to form a pre-
judgement about the students, which might affect their own assessment of that student.

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e) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A LEARNING TAXONOMY AND AN

ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The assessment process consists of three stages:

1. Input (planning for and creating the assessment)
2. Process (conducting the assessment)
3. Output (the outcome and what is to be done with it)

 Learning taxonomies are made use of in the input stage of the assessment process when
defining the desired outcomes, and when creating the questions or tasks for the
assessment that will enable the students to prove that they have achieved those
learning outcomes. E.g.
- LO: Students can identify quadrilaterals from amongst a given number of
polygons.
QUESTION: Circle the quadrilaterals in the given shapes.

 Learning taxonomies like Bloom’s contain cognitive levels of increasing complexity, and
are thus good for measuring students’ understanding at any level. E.g.
- (Evaluating Level):
QUESTION: A square and a rhombus are both quadrilaterals with all sides equal. Can
we therefore, conclude, that a square and a rhombus are the same? Give reasons to
support your judgement.

 They provide a syntax for creating questions to match each level of cognition. If created
along those lines and contain a verb used from amongst those suggested by the
taxonomy, the questions in the assessment would be effective in measuring the desired
learning outcomes of the students taking the assessment. The level of questions can be
varied within a single assessment. E.g.
- (Remembering Level): LO: Students can state the properties of different
quadrilaterals.
QUESTION: List the properties of a parallelogram

- (Analysing Level): LO: Students can compare different quadrilaterals using their
properties.
QUESTION: Using your knowledge of the properties of quadrilaterals, distinguish
between a parallelogram and a rhombus.

 Questions which are created using learning taxonomy usually contain verbs, which make
it easier for the students to understand what they have to do in order to demonstrate
their understanding at the required level.

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- (Applying Level): LO: Students can use their knowledge of the properties of
quadrilaterals to work out missing angles and sides of given quadrilaterals.
QUESTION: One of the angles of a parallelogram is 70°. Work out the opposite angle.

 For student achievement to be measured accurately, it is important to assess them

across each of the six levels of the taxonomy at some point within the framework of the
curriculum.
In this way, using learning taxonomies in creating questions for an assessment helps in
making the assessment reliable and valid.

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