PROBLEM 8: ASSESSMENT METHODS
FORMS OF ASSESSMENTS
Assessment is a process of observing a simple of a student’s behavior and drawing inferences about the
student’s knowledge and abilities. By themselves, educational assessments are merely tools (not for decision
making) that can help people make decisions about students and sometimes about teachers, instructional
programs and schools. Classroom assessments can take a variety of forms:
Informal versus formal: An informal assessment involves a spontaneous, unplanned observation of
something a student’s says or does. For example, teachers asking questions randomly during the
class. In contrast, a formal assessment is planned in advance and used for a specific purpose,
Paper-pencil versus performance: in paper-pencil assessments questions or problems are presented
to students which they must address on paper. Performance assessments are those that students
demonstrate or perform their abilities (non-written behaviors) such as oral presentations.
Traditional versus authentic: measuring knowledge and skills in relative isolation from tasks typically
found in the outside world such as spelling quizzes are called traditional assessment, while
measuring students’ knowledge and skills in real life context to a varying degrees are called authentic
assessment. An example of authentic assessment is asking a student to converse in foreign language.
Standardized versus teacher-developed: standardized test are those created by experts and are
helpful in assessing students’ general achievement and ability levels. But when we want to asses
students’ learning and achievement relayed to specific instructional objectives, we will usually want
to construct our own teacher-developed assessment instruments.
Criterion-references versus norm-referenced: criterion-referenced assessments are designed to tell
us exactly ehat students have and haven’t accomplished relative to predetermined standards or
criteria. For example, a spelling word test where you can see which words the student doesn’t know
and which one they don’t. Norm-referenced assessments reveal how well each student’s
performance compares with the performance of peers. For example, nationwide mathematics test
which are used to compare the level of math between schools.
PURPOSES OF ASSESSME NTS
Educators distinguish between two general forms of evaluation. Formative evaluation assesses what students
now and can do before or during instruction. Ongoing formative evaluations can help us determine what
students already know and believe abut a topic, whether they need further practice on a particular skill and
so on, so we can develop or revise our lesion plans accordingly. The second for of evaluation is called
summative evaluation where an assessment is conducted after instruction to make final determinations
about what students have achieved. Summative evaluations are used to determine whether students have
mastered the content of the lesson or unit, what final grades we should assign, which students are eligible for
more advanced classes and so on.
In general, students study class material better when:
They are told they are going to be tested by it, rather than when they are simply told to learn it
Assessments are especially effective as motivators when they are criterion-referenced, are closely
aligned with instructional goals and objectives, and challenge students to do their best.
FORMS OF ASSESSMENTS
Assessment is a process of observing a simple of a student’s behavior and drawing inferences about the
student’s knowledge and abilities. By themselves, educational assessments are merely tools (not for decision
making) that can help people make decisions about students and sometimes about teachers, instructional
programs and schools. Classroom assessments can take a variety of forms:
Informal versus formal: An informal assessment involves a spontaneous, unplanned observation of
something a student’s says or does. For example, teachers asking questions randomly during the
class. In contrast, a formal assessment is planned in advance and used for a specific purpose,
Paper-pencil versus performance: in paper-pencil assessments questions or problems are presented
to students which they must address on paper. Performance assessments are those that students
demonstrate or perform their abilities (non-written behaviors) such as oral presentations.
Traditional versus authentic: measuring knowledge and skills in relative isolation from tasks typically
found in the outside world such as spelling quizzes are called traditional assessment, while
measuring students’ knowledge and skills in real life context to a varying degrees are called authentic
assessment. An example of authentic assessment is asking a student to converse in foreign language.
Standardized versus teacher-developed: standardized test are those created by experts and are
helpful in assessing students’ general achievement and ability levels. But when we want to asses
students’ learning and achievement relayed to specific instructional objectives, we will usually want
to construct our own teacher-developed assessment instruments.
Criterion-references versus norm-referenced: criterion-referenced assessments are designed to tell
us exactly ehat students have and haven’t accomplished relative to predetermined standards or
criteria. For example, a spelling word test where you can see which words the student doesn’t know
and which one they don’t. Norm-referenced assessments reveal how well each student’s
performance compares with the performance of peers. For example, nationwide mathematics test
which are used to compare the level of math between schools.
PURPOSES OF ASSESSME NTS
Educators distinguish between two general forms of evaluation. Formative evaluation assesses what students
now and can do before or during instruction. Ongoing formative evaluations can help us determine what
students already know and believe abut a topic, whether they need further practice on a particular skill and
so on, so we can develop or revise our lesion plans accordingly. The second for of evaluation is called
summative evaluation where an assessment is conducted after instruction to make final determinations
about what students have achieved. Summative evaluations are used to determine whether students have
mastered the content of the lesson or unit, what final grades we should assign, which students are eligible for
more advanced classes and so on.
In general, students study class material better when:
They are told they are going to be tested by it, rather than when they are simply told to learn it
Assessments are especially effective as motivators when they are criterion-referenced, are closely
aligned with instructional goals and objectives, and challenge students to do their best.
