Lesson 3- Different Classifications of Assessment

What are the different classifications of assessment that teachers can use?

The different forms of assessment are classified according to purpose, form,

interpretation of learning ability, and kind of learning.

Classification Type
Purpose Educational
Psychological
Form Paper-and Pencil
Performance-based
Function Teacher-made
Standardized
Kind of learning Achievement
Aptitude
Ability Speed
Power
Interpretation of learning Norm-referenced
Criterion-referenced

When do we use educational and psychological assessments?

Educational assessments are used in the school setting for the purpose of
tracking the growth of learners and grading their performance. This assessment in
the educational setting comes in the form of formative and summative assessment.
These work hand-in-hand to provide information about student learning at the
beginning, during, and after instruction so that teachers can decide how to improve
their instruction until learners are able to meet the learning targets. When the
learners are provided with enough scaffold as indicated by the formative
assessment, then the summative assessment is conducted. The purpose of
summative assessment is to determine and record what the learners have learned.
On the other hand, the purpose of formative assessment is to track and monitor
student learning and their progress toward the learning target. Formative
assessment can any form assessment (paper-and pencil or performance-based) that
is conducted before, during, and after instruction. Before instruction begins,
formative assessment serves as a diagnostic tool to determine whether learners
already know about the learning target. More specifically, formative assessment
given at the start of the lesson determines the following:
1. What learners know and do not know so that instruction can supplement
what learners do not know.
2. Misconceptions of learners so that they can be corrected.
3. Confusion of learners so that they can be clarified.
4. What learners can and cannot do so that enough practice can be given
perform the task.
The information from educational assessment at the beginning of the lesson
is used by the teacher to prepare relevant instruction for learners. For example, if
the learning target is for learners to determine the by-product of photosynthesis,
then the teacher ask learners if they know what is the food of plants. If incorrect
answers are provided, then the teacher can recommend references for them to
study. If the learning target is for learners to divide a three-item exercise on the
task, the teacher can provide more exercises; for those who cannot, necessary
direct instruction, can be provided. At this point of instruction, the results of the
assessment are not graded because the information is used by the teacher to
prepare relevant ways to teach.
Educational assessment during instruction is done where the teacher stop at
certain parts of the teaching episodes to ask learners questions, assign exercises,
short essays, board work, and other tasks. If the majority of the learners are still
unable to accomplish the task, then the teacher realizes that further instruction is
needed by learners. The teacher continuously provides a series of practice drills
and exercises until the learners are able meet the learning target. These drills and
exercises are meant to make learners consolidate the skill until they can execute it
with ease. At this point of instruction, the teacher should be able to see the
progress of the learners in accomplishing the task. The teacher can require the
learners to collect the results of their drills and exercises so that learners can track
their own progress as well. This procedure allows learners to become active
participants in their own learning. At this point of the instruction, the results of
assessment are not yet graded because the learners are still in the process of
reaching the learning target; and some learners are still in the process of reaching
the learning target; and some learners do not progress at the same rate as the
others.
When the teachers observes that majority or all of the learners are able to
demonstrate the learning target, then the teacher can now conduct the summative
assessment. It is best to have a summative assessment for each learning targets so
that there is an evidence that learning has taken place. Both the summative and
formative assessments should be aligned to the same learning target; in this case,
there should be parallelism between the task provided in the formative and
summative assessments. When the learners are provided problem-solving task in
the summative assessment, work problem-solving should have also be given during
the summative assessment. When the learners are asked to identify the parts of the
book during the summative assessment, the same exercises should have been
provided during the formative assessment. For physical education, if the final
performance is a folk dance, then the learners are given time to practice, and a pre-
final performance is scheduled to give feedback. The final dance performance is the
summative assessment, and the time for practice and the pre-final performance is
the formative assessment.
Psychological assessments, such as tests and scales, are measures that
determine the learners’ cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics. Examples of
cognitive tests are those that measure ability, aptitude, intelligence, and critical
thinking. Affective measures are for personality, motivation, attitude, interest, and
disposition. The results of these assessments are used by the school’s guidance
counselor to perform interventions on the learners’ academic, career, and social
and emotional development.
When do we use paper-and pencil and performance-based type of
assessments?
Paper-and-pencil type of assessments are cognitive tasks that require a
single correct answer. They usually come in the form of test types, such as binary
(true or false), short answer (identification), matching type, and multiple choice.
The items usually pertain to a specific cognitive skill, such as recalling,
understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. On the other hand,
performance-based type of assessments requires learners to perform tasks, such as
demonstrations, arrive at a product, shoe=w strategies, and present information.
The skills applied are usually complex and require integrated skills to arrive at the
target response. Examples include writing an essay, reporting in front of the class,
reciting a poem, demonstrating how a problem was solved creating a word problem,
reporting the results of an experiment, dance and song performance, painting, and
drawing, playing a musical instrument, etc. Performance-based tasks usually open-
ended, and each learner arrives with various possible responses.
The use of paper-and-pencil and performance-based tasks depends on the
nature and content of the learning target. Below are examples of learning targets
that require a paper-and-pencil type of assessment.

 Identify the parts of the plants.

 Label the parts of the microscope.
 Compute the compound interest.
 Classify the phase of a given matter.
 Provide the appropriate verb in the sentence.
 Identify the type of sentence.

Below are learning targets that require performance-based assessment:

 Varnish a wooden cabinet.
 Draw a landscape using paintbrush in the computer.
 Write a word problem involving multiplication of polynomials.
 Deliver a speech convincing your classmates that you are a good candidate
for the student council.
 Write an essay explaining how humans and plants benefit from each other.
 Mount a plant specimen on a glass slide.

Check your learning by writing on the blank if the task requires paper-and-pencil
or performance-based assessment.

____________1. State the domain and range of a given function.

____________2. Solve systems of linear equations in two variables by the graphical
method
____________3. Draw the slope of given equation.
____________4. Simplify complex functions.
____________5. Deliver a speech to persuade people to donate for orphanage.
____________6. Multiply and divide rational algebraic expressions.
____________7. Observe the chemicals in the laboratory and list their hazards.
___________8. Classify substances according to their physical or chemical and
extrinsic or intrinsic properties.
___________9. Cite evidence of chemical changes.
___________10. Present ways to prevent walls from easily cracking during
earthquakes.

How do we distinguish teacher-made from standardized test?

Standardized tests have fixed directions for administering and scoring. They
can be purchased with test manuals, booklets, and answer sheets. When these
tests were developed, the items were sampled on a large number of target groups
called the norm. The norm group’s performance is used to compare the results of
those who took the test.

Specific
Category Visit the site for their description
Example
Intelligenc Wechsler https://wechslertest.com/
e test Adult
Intelligence
Scale
Achieveme Metropolitan https://www.tests.com/MAT-8-Testing
nt test Achievement
Test
Aptitude Raven’s http://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/Psychology/
test Progressive AdultCognitionNeuropschologyandLanguage/
Matrices AdultGeneralAbilities/Ravens-Progressive-
Matrices/Ravens-Progressive-Matrices.aspx

Critical Watson https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/watson-glaser-

thinking Glaser critical-thinking.htm
test Critical
Thinking
Appraisal
Interest RIASEC https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/RIASEC/
test Markers
Scale
Personality NEO https://www.hogrefe.co.uk/neopir.html
Test Personality
Inventory

Non-standardized or teacher-made tests are usually intended for classroom

assessment. They are used for classroom purposes, such as determining whether
learners have reached the learning target. These intend to measure behavior (such
as learning) in line with the objectives of the course. Examples are quizzes, long
tests, and exams. Formative and summative assessments are usually teacher-made
tests.

Can a teacher-made test become a standardized test? Yes, as long as it is

valid, reliable, and with a standard procedure for administering, scoring, and
interpreting results.
What information is sought from achievement and aptitude tests?

Achievement tests measure what learners have learned after instruction or

after going through a specific curricular program. Achievement tests provide
information on what learners can do and have acquired after training and
instruction. Achievement is a measure of what a person has learned within or up to
a given time (Yaremko et. Al. 1982). It is a measure of the accomplished skills and
indicates what a person can do at present (Atkinson 1995). Kimball (1989)
explained the traditional and alternative views on the achievement of learners. He
noted that the greater number of courses taken by learners and their more
extensive classroom experience with a subject may give them an advantage.
Achievement can be measured by a variety of means. Achievement can be reflected
in the final grades of learners within a quarter. A quarterly test composed of several
learning targets is also a good way of determining the achievement of learners. It
can also be measured using achievement tests, such as the Wide Range
Achievement Test, California Achievement Test, and Iowa Test for Basic Skills.

According to Lohgman (2005), aptitudes are the characteristics that

influence a person’s behavior that aid goal attainment in a particular situation.
Specifically, aptitude refers to the degree of readiness ton learn and perform well in
a particular situation or domain (Corno et. al. 2002). Examples include the ability
to comprehend instructions, manage one’s time, use previously acquired knowledge
appropriately, make good inferences and generalizations, and manage one’s
emotions. Other developments have also led to the conclusion that assessment of
aptitude can go beyond cognitive abilities. An example is the Cognitive Abilities
Measurement that measures working memory capacity, ability to store old
information and process new ones, and speed of an individual in retrieving and
processing new information (Kyllonen and Cristal 1989). Magno (2009) also created
a taxonomy of aptitude test items. The taxonomy provides item writers with a
guide on the type of items to be included when building an aptitude test depending
on the skills specified. The taxonomy includes 12 classifications categorized as
verbal analogy, syllogism, and number or letter series; the nonverbal is composed
of topology, visual discrimination, progressive series, visualization, orientation,
figure ground perception, progressive series, visualization, orientation, figure
ground perception, surface development, object assembly, and picture completion.

How do we differentiate speed from power test?

Speed tests consist of easy items that need to be completed within a time
limit. Power tests consist of items with increasing level of difficulty, but time is
sufficient to complete the whole test. An example of a power test was the one
developed by the National Council of teachers of Mathematics that determines the
ability of the examinees to utilize data to reason and become creative, formulate,
solve, and reflect critically on the problems provided. An example of a speed test is
a typing test in which examinees are required to correctly type as many words as
possible given a limited amount of time.

How do we differentiate norm-referenced from criterion-referenced test?

 There are two types of tests best on how the scores are interpreted: norm-
referenced criterion-referenced tests. Criterion-referenced test has a given set of
standards, and the scores are compared to the given criterion. For example, in a
50-item test: 40-50 is very high, 30-39 is high, 20-29 is average, and 10-19 is low,
and 0-9 is very low. One approach in criterion-referenced interpretation is that the
score is compared to a specific cutoff. An example is the grading in schools where
the range of grades 96-100 in highly proficient, 90-95 is proficient, 80-89 is nearly
proficient, and below 80 is beginning.

The non-referenced test interprets results using the distribution of scores of

a sample group. The mean and standard deviations are computed for the group.
The standing of every individual in a norm-referenced test is based on how far they
are from the mean and standard deviation of the sample. Standardized tests
usually interpret scores using a norm set from a large sample.

Having an established norm for a test means obtaining the normal or

average performance in the distribution of scores. A normal distribution is obtained
by increasing the sample size. A norm is a standard and is based on a very large
group of samples. Norms are reported in the manual of standardized tests.

A normal distribution found in the manual takes the shape of a bell curve. It
shows the number of people within a range of scores. It also reports the percentage
of people with particular scores. The norm is used to convert a raw score into
standard scores for interpretability.

What is the use of a norm? (1) A norm is the basis of interpreting a test
score. (2) A norm can be used to interpret a particular score.

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PEC 8- ACTIVITY NO. 3

What ideas you have acquired about the classifications of assessment.

1. Why are different kinds of assessment classified?

2. How does the knowledge of the classifications of assessment help improve

teaching?

3. How does the knowledge of the classifications of assessment help improve

learning?

4. Which classification of assessment is commonly used in the classroom

setting and why?