UNDERSTANDING ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

ASSESSMENT EVALUATION
Assessment is the process of assessing Evaluation is what is done with the
learning that has happened in class. It is assessment results. Thus it is product-
process-oriented and seeks to assess how oriented and seeks to understand where a
a child is applying and performing when child stands based on their assessment
they are given a task or question. For performance. For instance, if a child did
instance, the objective of an assessment is not perform well in a 2 digit by 3 digit
to see how a child is doing 2 digit by 3 digit multiplication, it means the learning
multiplication. This is done for the outcomes were not met for the child and
purpose of improving the child’s we can also use this to baseline the child as
performance and even improving or per predetermined standards.
tweaking teaching methods and strategies.
The purpose of assessment is to identify The purpose of evaluation is to understand
strengths and areas of improvement. It where a child stands as compared to
also helps to provide the data which can be expected standards as well as the extent to
used to provide feedback to improve which objectives were achieved.
performance.
An assessment is insightful and flexible in Evaluation is not flexible in a sense where
a sense where the criteria for success are the criteria for success are determined by
discussed by teacher and student. It takes the evaluator only based on certain
the results to arrive at where and how a expected and predetermined standards
child can improve. which are already set by the curriculum.
Both assessment and evaluation are pedagogical practises that is evaluative and seeks
to understand the ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘what’ of classroom learning. Both techniques help
teachers to understand how children are applying their learning; how much of the
objectives have been met and what are the measures that can be taken to help children
meet learning outcomes.
Both assessment and evaluation seek to improve a child’s learning and performance.
Assessments are more frequent and thus remedial measures can be taken faster while
evaluation gives a more comprehensive understanding which can help in creating long-
term goals for the child.
Both techniques are useful for teachers as they provide the most important evidence of
the efficiency of a teacher’s teaching methods and strategies. The data can also be used
to address individual student needs since most methods focus on ‘whole class’ or ‘whole
group’ approaches.

PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT

While planning and preparing assessments, a teacher must ensure that the assessment
serves the purpose and objectives it is trying to meet. There are 4 principles that an
assessment should follow in order to meet objectives and ensure its efficacy.

1. Reliability

The principle of reliability means the consistency of interpreting assessment results.

Every assessment aims to assess a certain attainment of learning objectives or
competency. Ensuring reliability of an assessment means that any assessor will be able
to arrive at a similar judgement of the student’s attainment of the objectives or
competency. In context, one way to ensure that an assessment is reliable is to check the
assessment results of other subjects for a particular child. If there are discrepancies,
then the result can be studied to see if the assessment was effective enough for the
student or if the student needs attention in the subject. The goal of ensuring reliability is
to ensure that other teachers, students and stakeholders must be able to interpret the
assessment result in the same way. Reliability also includes consistency of assessment
outcomes. This means that if the same child were to take the assessment again, they will
get a similar outcome.

An example of implementing reliability is to have a model answer for writing

questioning instruments. A model answer will help to objectively assess the answer for
any assessor. When the answer can vary, it should be mentioned that ‘responses can
vary’. This way only the key point and words can be given and check while assessing.

2. Validity
Validity of an assessment simply poses the question of whether the assessment and the
questions in the assessment are valid to the student. This means that the knowledge,
skills, competencies that are being assessed is relevant and necessary for the student.
Every unit or topic has learning outcomes and these outcomes consist of knowledge that
needs to be gained and the skills and competencies that should be imparted in a child.
While preparing an assessment, it is important to refer to these outcomes. Ensuring
validity means that the assessment does not omit the necessary outcomes a child should
develop as well as it should not contain questioning instruments that are over and
above the required outcomes. An assessment should include knowledge and skills
through practical application for the understanding of a topic.

For example, a teacher may prepare an assessment for the topic ‘types of pollution’. The
outcomes of the topic may be to know the types of pollution and its causes as well as
how to reduce pollution. The assessment should contain questions that assess the
practical knowledge of the topic. It can include a real time case study and ask students
to identify the causes and possible solutions. However, it cannot have a question that
asks students to design a machine that can reduce air pollution. It is not valid as per the
learning objectives and goes over and above the requirements.

3. Fairness

The principle of fairness in assessment is an important one as this largely determines

the success factor of the student taking the assessment. Ensuring fairness means that
students know and understand the assessment process and there is an agreement
between teacher and students on the process. This means that students know how the
assessment is going to be done which is the process as well as how and what they are
going to be evaluated on. This will also ensure reliability since students should also be
able to assess their own results in the same way. If a student has special needs, the
assessment should be fair for them and this means making adjustments without
compromising on the outcome. Protecting confidentiality of students’ assessment data
is also included in the fairness principle.

For example, before conducting an assessment for a topic, the teacher can announce the
learning outcomes that will be assessed as well as share the rubric for evaluation can be
some ways of ensuring fairness in assessments. If a student has a special need wherein
they have trouble with visualising, they can be given a writing which requires thinking
rather than visualising.

4. Flexibility

The principle of flexibility is to ensure every child is able to take the assessment in the
same manner with the resources and capabilities they have. This includes catering to
the learning needs and capabilities of all students. An assessment need not be rigid in a
way where every child should take it in the same manner since some children have
different needs and capabilities. Thus it must accommodate this diversity in order to
ensure that every child can give their best at the assessment. Some methods of ensuring
flexibility are through scaffolding, differentiation, integrating technology, etc.

For example a child may have trouble reading and understanding some alphabets,
scaffolding can be done by the teacher to read the instructions. If a child cannot sit and
write for too long, they can be given short breaks of 5 minutes during the assessment. If
a child is left-handed and is not comfortable with the seating arrangement, they should
be given comfortable seating to take up the assessment. All these practises do not
compromise other principles of assessment and neither manipulates the outcome of a
particular student but rather helps in increasing success of assessing.

TYPES AND METHODS OF ASSESSMENT

1. Baseline Assessment

STRENGTH WEAKNESS
Since baseline assessments are done prior Can be intimidating for children since they
to delivery of a lesson, it helps to plans may get an assessment on a topic which is
lessons more effectively because it gives completely new to them. They may be
an idea of what children know and where intimidated even though they may know
or how to start the topic. For instance, a some aspects of the topic.
teacher wants to introduce the topic of
rain water harvesting, she/he can do a
baseline assessment to check what are the
natural resources of water children know.
This can help to start the topic. Another
example is, if children are going to learn
three digit by three digit multiplication
and there are some children that don’t
know two digit then these children can be
given remedial measures or extra support
or even differentiated activities.
Helps to tie old concepts to new concepts It is not useful if the baseline assessment is
in a topic. For instance, if children are not done properly especially if it is not
going to learn about multiplication it is relevant to the topic children are going to
important for children to know addition learn or if there are no opportunities to
and understand the connection that make connections to what they already
adding a number multiple times is the know. For instance, if children are going to
concept of multiplication. Thus it helps to learn about ancient civilizations, they
make connections. Another example is cannot be checked on their knowledge of
that, if children have to develop a fictional world map or world wars.
character for a story, they can connect to
adjectives for describing their character.
Baseline assessment data helps to identify It is time-consuming to study baseline
which children lack the prior knowledge assessment data and it can affect the
required to learn a new topic. If they lack delivery of the actual lesson.
the prerequisite, they would evidently
struggle with the new topic. Thus the
teacher can make changes accordingly for
these children through differentiated
lesson plans. For instance, if a child lacks
the knowledge or skill to do addition, this
has to be addressed while introducing the
topic of multiplication.
Helps to check learning trajectory of
children. It helps to know how much
progress and growth a child has made
when comparing baseline assessment and
summative assessments. For instance, in a
baseline assessment a student might have
not known addition while learning about
multiplication however the summative
assessment result shows the child is good
at addition and needs more practise in
multiplication.
JUDGEMENT: A baseline assessment is useful especially if a new topic is being
introduced. Firstly, it is important to check if children have the prerequisite knowledge
or skill to grasp the new concept and if not, suitable changes can be made to the lesson
plan. A lesson plan and its implementation become more effective if a baselining is done
since this is what helps to cater the lesson to the needs and levels of the specific student
group. However it should be communication prior to the assessment to the children as
to what the objective of the assessment is and how it would help students in order to
avoid anxiety and students will also fully participate in the assessment.

2. Diagnostic Assessment

STRENGTH WEAKNESS
Helps to identify individual learning needs A diagnostic assessment may cause
and difficulties of a student. For instance, if student anxiety if it is not communicated
a child is not showing progress in group in the right manner since children will
discussions in language classes, a recognise that it is not a usual summative
diagnostic assessment may help to identify assessment.
reasons and one of the reasons could be
that the child is more comfortable with
their native language and thus they do not
feel comfortable to participate in group
discussions.
Based on diagnostic assessment data, A diagnostic assessment data may not give
remedial actions and individual learning evidence of the true potential of a child
plans can be created for a child based on thus it cannot be the only basis for
strengths and weaknesses. consideration.
Helps in differentiated teaching methods These assessments are time consuming to
since diagnostic data helps to identify create and evaluate. In most schools,
learning difficulties of a child. For instance, diagnostic assessments take a back seat
if a child is struggling with reading because teachers are unaware of the
material or questions; oral assessments actions and feedback that should be taken
and activities can be given as well. and given after such an assessment.
Helps to identify strengths and
weaknesses of a child and this data
becomes useful to set individual learning
plans, monitor learning progress and
provide required support and address
specific needs of a student.
JUDGEMENT: Conducting quick diagnostic assessments during the lesson can help us to
make corrective actions and identify where children need help and support. It becomes
especially useful when we see a student is not able to do a task or engage in an activity.
In this case, a simple diagnostic assessment with questions like “What did you enjoy?”,
“What did you find difficult?” “Explain the concept in your own words” can help us to
identify how much a child has grasped the concept and it can also give us insights on
why the child was not able to do the task or engaged in the activity. But it is important
to remember that results of diagnostic assessments are not completely reliable and can
vary. Thus it is more suitable to address an immediate situation or concern.

3. Summative Assessments

STRENGTH WEAKNESS
Summative assessments help to check the These are one-off exams and thus it may
achievement of learning outcomes which not be a real evidence of the true potential
is the final goal of learning and teaching. of a child. A child may have been going
For instance, if children have learnt the through a bad time at home and may have
topic of photosynthesis, a summative not done the exam well. Thus it cannot be
assessment with written questions can considered as the evidence of the child’s
check if children can explain the concept in knowledge or skill level.
their own words.
Studying summative assessment results Summative assessments may be stressful
can help to make changes and develop for children because of its nature. It
teaching strategies and methods. It helps showcases a final result of a child and thus
teachers to identify what methods worked adds pressure on a child to perform well.
well and what needs to be improved.
It gives a clear record and data of a child’s Most schools and teachers do not come up
progress since the data is quantified. There with solid action plans with the summative
is no ambiguity and is objective in nature. assessment data. If a child does not
Most summative assessments are perform well, they are simply demoted or
standardised and have a marking scheme given special coaching without
or blue print thus, it is uniform and understanding the issue.
objective in evaluation.
Helps to check if a child meets expected By its nature, summative assessments can
curriculum standards and if not, it demote an individual or result in not
provides data to plan additional support attaining something.
and guidance for children.
JUDGEMENT: Having formal assessments at the end of a unit or term is important as it
helps students to go back and revise what they learnt rather than just learn something
and leave it. It helps students to answer different kind of questions at different thinking
levels and difficulties which is a good evaluation of where they stand. It is also a good
data for teachers to see if learning objectives have been met and if not; what changes
and improvements need to be done.

4. OBSERVATION METHOD

STRENGTH WEAKNESS
One of the biggest strengths of this method It is difficult to record evidence in this
is that the skills can be seen live in action assessment evidence since it is available
and therefore the quality of data captured only at the time. It is not possible to record
is high. For instance, children can be it a later time and has to be recorded
checked for critical thinking skills through during the activity or time of observation.
a group discussion or case study. Thus Thus have a standard evaluation format
their discussions, points, process will all for this may be difficult and there is no
indicate the measure of this skill. physical evidence to go back to later if the
evaluation needs to be reviewed.
Another strength is the opportunity to give It is difficult to observe the thinking
immediate feedback. One of the goals or process of the child during observation
action that is taken after assessment is to since we only see what the child does and
give feedback. In this method, it is possible says. It is also difficult to assess the
to give immediate feedback on a child’s thinking level according to Bloom’s at
learning and understanding. times. For instance, if a child is doing a
case study to identify causes of pollution
and is being assessed for critical thinking,
it is not possible to assess how a child
analysed the case and identified the
causes.
The evidence collected in this method is It is sometimes difficult to assess how
said to be close to the true potential of a much knowledge a child has on a topic or
child since children are exhibiting these how much they have grasped a topic. For
skills and knowledge in a natural and instance, a child may be given an activity
comfortable environment and not under to do an experiment on liquid and gases.
pressure or stress. For instance, children The child may do the activity well or
can be observed for communication and complete the activity by looking at others
problem solving skills by giving them a or applying a particular concept; however
simple task of solving a real life case it is not possible to know how much of the
scenario. In this children will exhibit their concepts they have grasped and remember
true skills and knowledge since they are through the experiment. Thus knowledge
involved in an engaging and enjoyable cannot be directly observed.
environment whilst doing the task.
Observation methods helps to assess Since observation is recorded as evidence
several skills at once and it can also without any objectivity, it becomes
include various modes of assessing. Most difficult to standardise the evaluation
standard or traditional assessments have method. Capturing the evidence may also
only one form of assessment which is not be uniform. For instance, some
questions. Observation can include an teachers may record observation evidence
individual or group task, role play, activity, in their teacher journals or record and
experiment, etc. For instance in a role play some of them may create an evaluation
activity where children need to come up from to record the evidence.
with a solution for land pollution, it is
possible to observe skills such as
creativity, problem solving,
communication, design, team work, etc
depending on how the activity is planned.
JUDGEMENT: Observation method is more useful when one wants to assess skills that
have more practical application such as creativity, problem-solving, communication, etc.
Using an observation method for such skills rather than a method of questioning would
be more suitable since these skills can be observation as students go about the task.
However in order to be effective, a teacher must have determined the criteria and
evaluation method prepared in prior since recording data from this method can be
difficult thus it should be planned and prepare earlier.

5. Questioning Method

STRENGTH WEAKNESS
Questions can be in any variety and form. The questioning method is only effective if
There are many ways to create questions the quality of questions is high. There are
and thus this is an effective and several principles and prerequisites
comprehensive method of assessment. required to create effective questions and
Questions can be oral or written. It can be most often teachers are not skilled or
MCQ, short answer, one word, matching equipped to create such questions which
items, etc. can truly gauge a child’s level.
Questions can be personalised to suit The questioning method always involves
learner’s abilities and needs. For instance, the possibility of copying or plagiarism.
if a child finds it difficult to comprehend For instance, quiz questions, worksheets,
questions while doing reading exams, MCQ any type of question which is
comprehension, the questions can be uniform and created for a group leaves a
modified to make fill in the blanks or can
be framed in an easier manner. Thus it is room for copying and plagiarism.
easier to use differentiation with the
questioning method.
Questions can be framed as per the Creating questions can be time consuming
thinking levels of the child in order to and creating questions as per thinking or
challenge and keep them engaged. For learner levels can be even more time
instance, while doing reading consuming. Unlike observation method,
comprehension; slow learners can have the question method requires teachers to
more of LOTS questions with 1-2 HOTS read every answer which becomes time
questions whereas high performers can consuming and tedious depending on the
have more of HOTS questions with 1-2 strength.
LOTS questions.
The questions method can really challenge Question method can be stressful for or
and gauge the potential of a student. There uninteresting for children and so they may
is always the possibility to make the not give their best shot at an assessment
question more challenging in order to that uses this method. Children tend to feel
challenge the student and gauge their true a natural stress or pressure and may also
potential by including HOTS questions. At not find it engaging to sit through a
the same time, it is also possible to modify question method assessment.
questions and make it easier for a student
so that their true skills and competencies
can be evaluated.
JUDGEMENT: Questioning is a very important method of assessment. It is the most
standard form of assessment since it is easier to record, maintain and evaluate student
performance through this method. It tests how much children have grasped and
remember the concepts and how they are able to answer questions that address
different cognition skills. In one way, we have physical evidence of how a child has
understood and explains a concept based on their understanding.

6. Projects

STRENGTH WEAKNESS
Project method makes it easy to Similar to observation method, it is
implement and assess practical application difficult to assess how much knowledge
of knowledge and skills. For instance, the child has grasped or how well they
children can do project of creating a remember the concept. What we see is the
simple circuit after studying the concept of child executing tasks but it is not possible
circuits in electricity. to assess the thinking process or
knowledge that the child possesses.
Projects encourage developing and Projects require continuous monitoring
assessing a broad range of skills such as and assessment and it is not just assessing
creativity, innovation, problem solving, the final result or outcome. For instance,
etc. A group project with real world once children come up with an idea for a
application can even assess intellectual problem, the ideas need to be assessed and
and social skills of a child. then children get to designing the solution
which again needs to be assessed.
Since a project is always divided into Most often, since projects are not formal
stages or milestones, there is an assessments, schools do not have a
opportunity to assess as well as given predetermined or standard method of
feedback at every stage. This includes the evaluating projects and it is left to the
ideation, design, prototype and execution discretion of the teachers. Thus evaluating
stages. a project assessment may not be uniform
or effective.
Project method like observation, provides
an engaging and enjoyable way to assess
children. Children do not feel pressure or
stressed and thus it is possible to assess
the true abilities of a child.
JUDGEMENT: The project method comes in handy when one wants to assess multiple
skills and application of a topic. Especially in cases where students need to research,
analyse, gather and put information together, projects become very useful. It is also a
very engaging method of assessment where children do not feel the pressure of being
assessed. It also helps to develop and assess a lot of other skills such as research,
organisation, taking ownership, etc.

COMPARISION OF ASSESSMENT TYPES

 SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES
Both baseline and formative A baseline and formative assessment
assessments contribute to better vary in their objective. While baseline
planning and implementation of lesson assessment aims to understand prior
plans. Baseline assessments give us knowledge of children; formative
insights on how much knowledge children assessments aim to assess the knowledge
have as well as if children have the gained after teaching a topic. They are also
prerequisite knowledge to learn the new done at different stages of an assessment.
topic. This helps us to tweak the lesson Baselining is done before the lesson is
plan and find out where to begin and how introduced while formative assessment is
much importance should be given to the done either during or after a topic is
different areas in a topic. Similarly, a completed.
formative assessment also gives us
insights on whether children have
understood the topic. Since it is done just
after completing a topic, it can help to plan
subsequent lessons by incorporating
inputs of the assessment. We can tweak
the lesson to recap the previous concept or
maybe even re-teach the previous topic if
majority have not grasped it.
Formative and summative assessments Though formative and summative
both help us to check if learning outcomes assessments aim to assess student
have been achieved by students since understanding and achievement of
these assessments check the learning objectives; they differ in structure
understanding and application of a and implementation. Formative
concept. They also provide important data assessments can be done through different
to set individual learning plans for methods such as quiz, worksheet, oral
children. task, activity, etc. A summative assessment
is generally a predetermined
questionnaire with a set marking scheme.
A formative assessment may be done
during or at the end of a topic however
 summative assessments are done at the
end of a whole unit or term.
Both diagnostic and formative Though formative and diagnostic
assessments provide useful data to assessments can identify the challenges a
implement differentiation in the student faces; a formative assessment will
classroom. These assessments tell us only tell which topic a student finds
which learners have difficulty and in difficult. It can also assess the thinking
which area. A diagnostic also identifies level of the child. A diagnostic assessment
strengths and weaknesses of a child which can identify specific difficulties a child is
for example, may be that a child is good facing due to non-academic concerns. For
orally explaining but not in written form. instance, a child may have difficulty to
Similarly, formative assessments tell us write some alphabets correctly and so may
where the child needs more attention and not be confident to do writing tasks.
what they are struggling with. Thus these Another example is that a child may have
assessments help to plan differentiated more exposure to their native language
teaching methods for diverse learners. and may not be able to comprehend
activities in English class.

COMPARISON OF ASSESSMENT METHODS

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES
The observation and project assessment Projects is conducted or done in stages
methods are both similar in a way where whereas observation method is a one-time
they can identify multiple skills with one method wherein the observation is done
task or activity. For instance, if students and completed with a short task or
are doing a problem solving activity on activity.
analyzing a climate pollution scenario and
coming up with solutions; it is possible to
assess their creativity, problem solving,
and critical thinking skills.
Both projects and observation method can It is possible to bring in differentiation in
assess the practical application of questions wherein the questions can be
knowledge which may be difficult in created as per the thinking level of the
questioning method unless the question is child. However, group projects are difficult
framed in a very specific manner. For to differentiate since all children might
instance, if children have learnt area and have to do the same thing or have the
perimeter and need to make a paper cover same result even though the process may
with given dimensions, the concept can be be differentiated.
assessed through the observation or
project method.
It is possible to give immediate feedback With questions, there is a physical
on student performance in both evidence of student performance and it is
observation and project method since it is possible to review this data at any later
done practically and live and happens in time however, with observation the
stages. evidence ends when the activity ends. The
data entirely depends on the record and
evaluation of the teacher.

PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENTS AT DIFFERENT STAGES

1. Before a lesson – Baseline Assessments

For:
 Conducting a baseline assessment before the lesson helps assess whether
students have the prerequisite or prior knowledge required to learn a topic. For
instance, if children are going learn factors and multiples in math, they will need
to know multiplication and tables.
 It also helps to identify if any topics need to be revised before beginning the new
topic. If children are not fully confident about simple past tense, then that needs
to be revised before studying past perfect tense.
 A baseline assessments also gives us insights as to where and how to begin the
lesson. Either it can begin with connecting the new topic to the previous; revising
the previous topic or just introduce the topic as a new one to students.

Against:
 If the objective or expectation of these assessments are not clearly
 communicated with children, it can be intimidating for them and they may not
show any interest in doing them.
 These assessments should be simple and short otherwise it will take too much
from the lesson plan and may not be effective at all if its data needs to be
incorporated into the lesson.
 Sometimes baseline assessments can be totally irrelevant to the topic or
objectives of the lesson thus it needs to be planned with the learning objectives
of the lesson.

2. During a Lesson – Diagnostic and Formative Assessments

For:
 Conducting an assessment such as diagnostic or formative assessment during a
lesson or during a unit that is being taught can help to identify gaps and learning
difficulties at an earlier stage. This is a proactive approach since the lesson plan and
teaching methods can be tweaked accordingly to address the learner’s difficulty. For
instance, if a child is not able to do a reading comprehension worksheet
independently, a quick diagnostic assessment with simple questions such as ‘is the
passage easy?’, ‘do you enjoy doing comprehension and why?’ can helps us to
understand if the child is finding the passage too difficult or doesn’t enjoy doing
such activities. Thus the right guidance and method can be given after assessment.
 Studying data of diagnostic and formative assessments will tell us if our teaching
methods and strategies have been effective and what needs to be improved or
changed. For instance, in the above example, if the child responds that they don’t
like to do reading comprehension passages alone, they can have a work buddy
wherein they complete the task and discuss their answers. These simple changes
and methods can be brought in by having assessments during the lesson.
 It also helps us with planning differentiated teaching strategies. If a diagnostic
assessment reveals that 20% of the class prefer a role play to study characters in
fiction, then role plays and other communication activities can be included for that
group. Thus this helps in differentiation.
Against:
 These assessments are time consuming to create and evaluate so if one is not
sure of what they want to assess, these may not be effective. Thus it is important
to come up with the right questions which are aligned to learning outcomes.
 Most often, teachers lack the resource or knowledge of using diagnostic
assessments in class and they are unsure of the follow up actions that need to be
taken.
 There are also instances when formative and diagnostic assessments are done
however they are never reflected upon and incorporated into lesson plans
because of lack of time, resources, knowledge, etc.

3. After a Lesson – Summative Assessments

For:
 Though formative assessments help in telling us if a child has understood the
topic; conducting summative assessments after a whole unit or even at the end of
the term helps us to identify the overall learning a child has had during the period.
It tells us how much a child remembers, is able to make connections to other
concepts and applies the concepts.
 It helps us to evaluate a student against standard criteria to see if the student has
achieved the curriculum standards. It eventually tells us if the student has
achieved the learning outcomes.
 It is important to have such assessments as it helps students to remember the
concepts better and prepare them for formal and standardised exams which they
may take in later stages of life. It also removes the fear of exams if conducted in the
right way.

Against:
 The objective of summative assessment is most often not communicated in the
right manner which is why it causes fear and stress for children. It is seen as a way
of judging a person rather than evaluating current learning and progress to plan
future goals.
  If students are not given enough practise or exposure to these formal,
standardised assessments, they can’t be expected to ‘perform’ at a real exam.
 These assessments are most often used to judge or place a child in one area with a
mark or grade rather than looking at their progress or areas of development.
These one-time exams cannot be taken as a true judgement of potential of a child.

COMMUNICATING ASSESSMENTS RESULTS TO VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS

For:

 It is important to share report cards, answer papers and the good work that
children have done through a term with parents since this helps parents to know
about a child’s academic progress, skills, their talents, etc. Parents also play an
important role in a child’s holistic progress and development. Thus if a child has
not done well in academics, it is important to discuss this with parents as this can
help understand if the child is having any trouble at home or school which they
may have shared with parents.
 It is important to share some assessments results like formative and diagnostic
results with teachers’ peers. This helps to get a comprehensive understanding of
the child rather than a narrow one. Sharing projects, presentations, portfolios and
discussing with peers can help to understand how the child is performing in other
subjects as well. This is useful since a child may be doing really well in all subjects
except math and the reason may be because they have a resistance towards the
subject thus sharing assessment details with peers can help to understand and
plan suitable teaching strategies for a class or individual students.
 Sharing assessments results with children in a planned and effective manner can
be extremely useful since it helps children to know how much they already know
and which concepts they haven’t understood yet. It helps students to understand
the areas and skills they need to develop.
 Assessment results will tell the management about what the school can do to
enhance the learning experience which can be related to teacher’s professional
development, school facilities and resources or systems and policies that are in
place. The assessment data is an important outcome or data for the school to be
successful.
Against:

 Giving constructive feedback is needed rather than negative comments.

Sometimes parents may not accept the comments or feedback and become
defensive of the teacher’s comments. This may be because while giving feedback
or sharing results, it needs to be backed up with examples and learning context.
 Although sharing assessment results with children is necessary and crucial, it can
sometimes be counter-productive if the feedback and discussion are not done in
the right manner. The objective of sharing the results is to give feedback on what
the student has done well and where and how they can develop rather than de-
motivating or putting the child down for bad performance or indiscipline.
 In most schools, assessments results are shared with various stakeholders such as
peers and management however; there is no follow up action on these results.
Teachers are also unaware or limited in their opportunity to make follow up
actions.
 Most often, sharing assessment result with parents or stakeholders is only a one-
time wherein results are shared or discussed every 6-12 months and thus there is
no impact or benefit from the process.

LEARNING TAXONOMIES AND ASSESSMENTS

 Learning outcomes and lesson plans – Learning taxonomies help to create

learning outcomes based on the cognition level we want children to develop. It is
these outcomes that help to plan suitable assessments. For instance, if children
are going to learn about photosynthesis, the learning outcome can be to explain
the process in their own words which checks for ‘understanding’ level of
Bloom’s. This can be assessed through a formative assessment such as exit ticket.
 Identify skills and cognition levels - Teachers can design assessments to
assess different levels of cognition. It helps to assess at what stage or level a child
is. For instance, a student may be able to analyze a topic but might struggle in
questions where they need to evaluate the topic, thus it helps to identify the
cognition level of the student.
 Evaluating results - It is easier to set assessments that are aligned to
taxonomies since taxonomies are systematised. There are specific levels, skills
 and even questions that are determined in Bloom’s taxonomy thus, creating
assessments which are aligned to taxonomies make it easier to evaluate learning
outcomes and check if the student has achieved the learning objectives.
 Framing right questions - The problem that most teachers face is framing
questions that are aligned to the learning outcomes of a topic especially during
classes and sessions; teachers pose questions to students which may actually not
be aligned to the outcome at all. In the end they receive ambiguous or poor
answers. It also helps to create challenging and engaging questions for children.
It is possible to motivate the child by framing higher order questions.