TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ASSESSMENT

A. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 21ST CENTURY ASSESSMENT

1. Responsive - Visible performance-based work (as a result of assessment)
generates data that inform curriculum and instruction. Teachers can adjust instructions,
school leaders can consider additional educational opportunities for students and policy
maker can modify programs and resources to cater to the present needs of the school
community.
Processes for responding to assessments are thoughtfully developed, incorporating
best practices in feedback and formative assessment. Feedback is to be targeted to the goal
and outcome. Rather than just a single test grade, students are informed of progress toward
the attainment of goal. Self-reflection, peer feedback, and opportunities for revision will a
natural outcome.
2. Flexible – lesson design, curriculum and assessment require flexibility, suppleness,
and adaptability. Assessments and responses may not be fitted to expected answers.
Assessment need to be adaptable to students’ settings. Rather than the identical approach
that works in traditional assessment, 21st century approaches are more versatile. These
approaches best fir for the demands of the learning environment at present since as students’
decisions, actions and applications vary, the assessment and the system need to be flexible,
too.

3. Integrated – Assessment are to be incorporated into day-to-day practice rather than

as add-ons at the end of instructions or during a single specified week of the school calendar.
Assessment are enriched by metacognition. Assessment is about stimulating thinking,
building on prior learning, constructing meaning, and thinking about one’s thinking. It offers
opportunities for students to consider their choices, identify alternative strategies, transfer
earlier learning, and represent knowledge through different means.

4. Informative – The desired 21st century goals and objectives are clearly stated and
explicitly taught. Students display their range of emerging knowledge and skills. Exemplar
routinely guide students toward achievement of targets.
Learning objectives, instructional strategies, assessment methods, and reporting
processes are clearly aligned. Complex learning takes time. Students have opportunities to
build on prior learning in a logical sequence. As students develop and build skills, i.e. learning
and innovation skills, information, communication and technology skills, and life and career
skills; the work gets progressively more rigorous.
Demonstration of 21st century skills are evident and support learning. Students show
the steps they go through and display their thought processes for peer and teacher reviews.

5. Multiple Methods – An assessment continuum that included a spectrum of

strategies is the norm. students demonstrate knowledge and skills through relevant tasks,
projects, and performances. Authentic and performance-based assessment is emphasized.
There is recognition of and appreciation for the processes and products of learning.

6. Communicated – Communication of assessment data is clear and transparent for

all stakeholders. Results are routinely posted to a database along with standards-based
commentary, both of which must be available and comprehensible at all levels. Students
receive routine feedback on their progress, and parent are kept informed through access to
visible progress reports and assessment data.
The educational community recognizes achievement of students beyond the
standardized test scores. Large-scale measures, including all the results of traditional and
authentic assessments, include and report on 21st century skills.

7. Technically Sound – Adjustments and accommodations are made in the

assessment process to meet the student needs and fairness. Students demonstrate what
they know and how they can apply that knowledge in ways that are relevant and appropriate
from them.
To be valid, the assessments must measure the stated objectives and 21 st century
skills with legitimacy and integrity.
 To be reliable, the assessment must be precise and technically sound so that users
are consistent in their administration and interpretation of data. They produce accurate
information for decision-making in all relevant circumstances.

8. Systemic – Twenty-first century assessment is part of a comprehensive and

well-aligned assessment system that is balanced and inclusive of all students, constituents,
and stakeholders and designed to support improvement at all levels.
These eight characteristics of 21 st century assessment, are essential guide for the
preparation of assessment activities by educators. It is necessary to refer to these
characteristics to ensure that the learners are being assessed towards the skills and demand
of the 21st century.

B. INSTRUCTIONAL DECISION IN ASSESSMENT

The major objective of educational assessment is to have holistic appraisal of a
learner, his/her environment and accomplishment.
The educational assessment process starts in analyzing the criterion together with
the teaching-learning situation after which, the kind of evidence that are appropriate to use for
assessment of the individuals are set. This helps to determine the strengths, weaknesses,
needs and personality characteristics, skills and abilities of the learner [Bloom, 1970].
It is clear that educational assessment encompasses the total educational setting
and not limited to the teacher-student engagement. It is not merely based on a single aspect
such as taking a test, and checking it. In totality, the processes of measurement and
evaluation are subsumed in the educational assessment process.

1. Decision-making at Different Phases of Teaching-Learning Process

Assessment is constantly taking place in educational settings. Decisions are made
about content/subject matter and specific targets, nature of students and faculty, morale and
satisfactions of both the teachers and the students, as well as the extent of which student
performances meet and standard and/or deliver the outcomes expected from them by the
teacher.
Assessment can be used as basis for decision-making at different phases of the
teaching-learning process. Stated below are the different phases of the teaching-learning
process, how and what decisions are made by the teachers:

Phase 1. Before starting Teaching

i. Decisions to be made:
- Content to cover during following day, week, month, grading period and so on.
- Abilities of students considering the cultural background, interests and skills of
students in planning the teaching activities
- Materials appropriate to use with students
- Learning activities that will engage both the
- Learning targets that the teacher wants to achieve as a result of teaching
- Organization and arrangement of students in class in consideration of the lessons
and activities.

ii. Sources of information:

- Informal observation of students during class
- Conversation with students’ previous teachers
- Scholastic aptitude test results.
- Students’ past grades and standardized test results.
- knowledge of student’s personal family circumstances

Phase 2. During teaching

i. Decisions to be made
- Students learning on what and how the lesson is presented
- Improvement needed to make the lesson work better
- what feedback to give each student about how well the student is learning.
 - Readiness of the students to move to the next activity as planned in the learning
sequence.

ii. Sources of information:

- Observation of students during learning activities
- Students’ response to questions the teacher asked them
- Observation of students’ interaction
- Diagnosis of the types of errors the students made or erroneous thinking the students
are using.
- Look for alternative ways to teach the materials.
- identify if there are students who are not participating and acting appropriately.

Phase 3. After a teaching segment

i. Decisions to be made
- How well students achieve the short and long term instructional targets
- Strengths and weaknesses to be given as feedback to parents or guardian of
students
- Grade to be given to each student for the lesson or unit, grading period or end of the
course
- Effectiveness of teaching the lesson to the students
- effectiveness of the students to move to the next activity as planned in the learning
sequence

ii. Sources of information

- Classroom tests, projects, observations
- Interviews with students
- Standardized test results
- Observations of each student’s classroom participation
- Review each student’s homework results
- Review each student’s standardized achievement and scholastic aptitude test results
- Review information about a student’s personal family circumstances
- Informal observation of how well the student has attained the intended learning
targets
- Summaries of the class’ performance on the important instructional targets
- Summaries of how well the students liked the activities and lesson materials
- Summaries of the class’ achievement on classroom tests that match the curriculum

2. Assessment in Classroom Instruction

Linn and Gronlund (2000) described the relevance of assessment in instructional
decision by classifying the varied assessment procedures according to use in classroom
instruction. The following are the categories and purposes of each category.

CATEGORY
1. Placement Assessment
2. Formative Assessment
3. Diagnostic Assessment
4. Summative Assessment
PURPOSE
Measures entry behavior
Monitors learning progress
Identifies causes of learning problems
Measures end-of-course achievement

Linn said that be informed decision-making in education is very important because of

the benefits it can bring about. Topmost of these benefits is the enhancement of students’
learning and development.
3. Types of Educational Decision
Kubiszyn and Borich (2002) classified the different educational decisions into
eight categories. These types of decisions are described briefly below:

a. Instructional – This decision is normally made by individual classroom teacher, as

necessary to meet the targets or objectives set during classroom engagement. Decisions are
reached according to the results of test administered to a class.
 Example: After a test was given by the teacher, the result is not so satisfactory thus
the teacher may decide to reteach the lesson using different strategy so as to improve the
learning and meet the objective/target set for that particular lesson.

b. Grading – It is usually based on teacher-made tests. Grades are assigned to the

students using assessment as one of the factors.
Example: A quarterly grade is based on the following result of a teacher-made test,
class participation, projects, and attendance.

c. Diagnostic – It is made to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses and the

reason/s.
Example: A teacher gave an essay test. The teacher noticed that the students were
able to write more than five grammatically correct sentences but the coherence of the ideas
contained in the paragraph is poor. So the result shows that the students still need more help
in understanding the principles of writing a good paragraph.

d. Selection – It involves accepting or rejecting the examinee based on the results of

assessment, for admission or qualification to a program or school activity. The decisions are
made not by classroom teachers but by specialists such as guidance counselors,
administrators or the selection committee.
Example: College or university entrance examinations, choosing a school
representative for a national quiz bee.

e. Placement - it is made after a student has been admitted to school. It involves the
process at identifying students who need remediation or may be recommended for
enrichment program of the school.
Example: A diagnostic in English and Math were given to freshmen to determine who
among them may encounter difficulty in these areas. Those who will get a below-average
score will be included in the remediation program to help the students cope with the lessons
in English and math.

f. Guidance and Counseling - it utilizes test data to assist students in making their
personal choices for future career and help them know their strengths and weaknesses by
means of standardized tests. On the other hand, teachers may use the results of socio-metric
test to identify who among the students are popular or unpopular. Those who are unpopular
may be given help for them to gain friends and become more sociable.
Example: The NCAE helps to identify which career path the student may pursue that
matches his/her interests and skills, whether academic, vocational or technical programs.

g. Program or Curriculum - it is made not at the level of the teachers but on higher
level such as division, regional or national levels. Based on the result of assessment and
evaluation, educational decisions may be reached: to continue, discontinue, revise or replace
a curriculum or program being implemented.
Example: The decision to implement the K-12 curriculum in order to avoid mismatch
among graduates and industry and be at par with the Curriculum implemented in the
Philippines’ neighboring countries.

h. Administrative Policy – It involves determining the implications to resources

including financial considerations in order to improve the student learning as a result of
assessment. It may entail acquisition of instructional materials, books, etc. to raise the level
of students’ performance in academic or non-academic or both.
Example: to conduct remediation classes, additional budget is necessary for the
logistics (classroom instructional materials, assessment materials, etc.) and also the
additional pay for the teachers that will handle the remedial classes.

C. OUTCOME-BASED ASSESSMENT
Knowing what is expected from learners by their teachers at the end of a particular
lesson helps them to meet those targets successfully. In relation to this, teachers who have
set clear targets for their lessons, will be guided accordingly as they deliver their lessons
through instructional learning activities to meet the desired outcomes. Thus, all assessment
and evaluation activities must be founded on the identified student learning outcomes (ILO).
These ILO’s should be identified and clarified with students so that it will be an effective
teaching-learning process as the teachers commence the learning activities through delivery
of lessons.

1. Student Learning Outcome

Student learning outcome is the totality of accumulated knowledge, skills and attitudes
that students develop during a course of study. And this serve as the basis for assessing the
extent of learning in an Outcome-Based Education (OBE). Outcome-based assessment must
be continuously done during the entire teaching learning both by the teachers and students to
ensure that the activities are aligned with the expected outcomes set for students by the
teacher. Providing feedback including the results of assessment is important to identify the
next step toward the realization of the intended learning outcomes.

2. Sources of Student Expected Learning Outcomes.

As aforementioned, outcomes or targets for every lesson is expected to be defined
and clarified by the teacher at the start of the course/learning activities. This is necessary so
as both the students and teachers will be guided as to what steps should be taken during the
course of the teaching-learning activities. There are several factors that need to be
considered in defining the outcomes, to ensure that these are aligned with the set directions
of the program and evaluation setting in general. Following are the factors that need to be
considered in crafting the student expected learning outcomes.
1. Mission statement of the school.
2. Mandated policies on competencies and standards issued by government education
agencies.
3. Competencies expected by different professions, business and industry.
4. Development plan and goals as well as the current thrusts of both the national and
local governments
5. Current global trends and developments so that graduates can compete globally.
6. General 21st century skills focusing on the following:
i. Oral and written communication
ii. Quantitative reasoning ability together with scientific methodology
iii. Analyzing, synthesizing and developing creative solutions.
iv. Use technology
v. Information literacy

3. Characteristics of Good Learning Outcomes

It is important to define outcomes as clearly and explicitly as possible. Good learning
outcomes give emphasis to the application and integration of the knowledge and skills
acquired in a particular unit of instruction, and emerge from a process of reflection on the
essential contents of the activity, course, program, etc.
i. Very specific and use verbs that makes expectations clear. It informs the students of
the standards by which they will be assessed.
Ii. Focused on the learner. Good learning outcomes describe knowledge or skills that
the student will employ, and help the learner understand why that knowledge and those skills
are useful and valuable to their personal, professional and academic future.
iii. Are realistic. All passing students should be able to demonstrate the knowledge or
skill described by the learning outcome at the conclusion of the course.
iv. Focus on the application and integration of acquired knowledge and skills. Good
learning outcomes reflect and indicate the ways in which the described knowledge and skills
may be used by the learner now and in the future.
v. good learning outcomes prepare students for assessment and help them feel
engaged in and empowered by the assessment and evaluation process.
vi. Offer timeline for completion of the desired learning.
YOUR TASKS: (Yellow pad paper)

A. Given the following situations, identify what student learning outcomes must be set
as well as the assessment that will be done to ensure that the student learning
outcomes will be met. Discuss your answers.

1. Teacher Jam aims that her students in Mathematics will have mastery of the four
fundamental operations.

2. Teacher Ted, handling Science class, wants his students to have mastery of their
lesson about conversion of units of measure before he advances to the next lessons. He
does not simply aim for concepts but he wants to have his students acquire the skill in
converting unit of measures.

B. Below are sample cases encountered in school setting. Identify the best
assessment that could be used as input in order to come up with a sound decision.
Justify your prosed assessment.

1. Based on the previous school year’s data, particularly the new enrollees, there were
students (since they have different backgrounds) who cannot cope well in the general basic
subjects particularly in English and Mathematics. In preparation for the coming school year,
the administration mandated the Academic Team to improve the situation and plan a program
that will help the students improve their skills in those subjects.

Assessment:
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Justification:
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2. The school receive an invitation to join an international competition in the field of

Mathematics. In the invitation, the organizer asked for five representatives from the school a
week after the letter of invitation was received, since there will be an orientation and coaching
schedules. The VP for Academic Affairs endorsed the said invitation to the Subject Area
Coordinator (SAC). What should be next the step to be undertaken by the SAC?

Assessment:
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Justification:
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