PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT

 PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT

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Assessment for improved student learning and deep understanding requires a range of assessment practices to be used with three overarching purposes:

• Assessment FOR learning - occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching

• Assessment AS learning - occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals

Assessment OF learning - occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards.

•Assessment drives instruction

A pre-test or needs assessment informs instructors what students know and do not know at the outset, setting the direction of a course. If done well, the information garnered will highlight the gap between existing knowledge and a desired outcome. Accomplished instructors find out what students already know, and use the prior knowledge as a stepping off place to develop new understanding. The same is true for data obtained through assessment done during instruction. By checking in with students throughout instruction, outstanding instructors constantly revise and refine their teaching to meet the diverse needs of students.

•Assessment drives learning

What and how students learn depends to a major extent on how they think they will be assessed. Assessment practices must send the right signals to students about what to study, how to study, and the relative time to spend on concepts and skills in a course. Accomplished faculty communicate clearly what students need to know and be able to do, both through a clearly articulated syllabus, and by choosing assessments carefully in order to direct student energies. High expectations for learning result in students who rise to the occasion.

•Assessment informs students of their progress

Effective assessment provides students with a sense of what they know and don't know about a subject. If done well, the feedback provided to students will indicate to them how to improve their performance. Assessments must clearly match the content, the nature of thinking, and the skills taught in a class. Through feedback from instructors, students become aware of their strengths and challenges with respect to course learning outcomes. Assessment done well should not be a surprise to students

•Assessment informs teaching practice

Reflection on student accomplishments offers instructors insights on the effectiveness of their teaching strategies. By systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence we can determine how well student learning matches our outcomes / expectations for a lesson, unit or course. The knowledge from feedback indicates to the instructor how to improve instruction, where to strengthen teaching, and what areas are well understood and therefore may be cut back in future courses.

Role of grading in assessment

Grades should be a reflection of what a student has learned as defined in the student learning outcomes. They should be based on direct evidence of student learning as measured on tests, papers, projects, and presentations, etc. Grades often fail to tell us clearly about "large learning" such as critical thinking skills, problem solving abilities, communication skills (oral, written and listening), social skills, and emotional management skills.

When student learning outcomes are not met

Accomplished faculty focus on the data coming out of the assessments they complete before, during and at the end of a course, and determine the degree to which student learning outcomes are or are not met. If students are off course early on, a redirecting, reteaching of a topic, referral to student learning centers, or review sessions by the instructor may remediate the problem. Through careful analysis it is possible to determine the challenges and weaknesses of instruction in order to support student learning better. 

•Some topics or concepts are notoriously difficult, and there may be a better approach to use. Perhaps a model, simulation, experiment, example or illustration will clarify the concept for students. Perhaps spending a bit more time, or going over a topic in another way will make a difference. If the problem is noticed late in the course, an instructor may plan to make any instructional changes for the next time the course is taught, but it is helpful to make a note of the changes needed at the time so that the realization is not lost.

•Assessments are used for a wide variety of purposes in schools and education systems:High-stakes assessments are typically standardized tests used for the purposes of accountability-i.e., any attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers. In general, "high stakes" means that important decisions about students, teachers, schools, or districts are based on the scores students achieve on a high-stakes test, and either punishments (sanctions, penalties, reduced funding, negative publicity, not being promoted to the next grade, not being allowed to graduate) or accolades (awards, public celebration, positive publicity, bonuses, grade promotion, diplomas) result from those scores.

•Pre-assessments are administered before students begin a lesson, unit, course, or academic program. Students are not necessarily expected to know most, or even any, of the material evaluated by pre-assessments they are generally used to (1) establish a baseline against which educators measure learning progress over the duration of a program, course, or instructional period, or (2) determine general academic readiness for a course, program, grade level, or new academic program that student may be transferring into.

•Formative assessments are in-process evaluations of student learning that are typically administered multiple times during a unit, course, or academic program.

•The general purpose of

Assessment for learning-Second Year Study Material formative assessment is to give educators in-process feedback about what students are learning or not learning so that instructional approaches, teaching materials, and academic support can be

modified accordingly. 

•Formative assessments are usually not scored or graded, and they may take a variety of forms, from more formal quizzes and assignments to informal questioning techniques and in-class discussions with students.

•Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning at the conclusion of a specific instructional period-typically at the end of a unit, course, semester, program, or school year.

•Summative assessments are typically scored and graded tests, assignments, or projects that are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn during the defined instructional period.

Purposes of assessment can be grouped under five headings as

1. To select

2. To certificate 

3. To describe

4. To aid learning 

5.To improve teaching.

1.TO SELECT:

Assessment helps with selection. For example, when choosing students for further courses or for employment. Selection can be independent of the learner's wishes. Selection can help the learner make a choice. For example, between options a certain stages in their school career.

 2. To certificate: 

This is related to the function of confirming that a student has reached a particular standard. Assessment certifies that a particular learner performance  has been achieved. This may be in the form of a simple pass or fail Whether competent or not yet competent. For example, providing a license to practice as a plumber or an airline pilot.

3. To describe: 

The outcome of assessment has been described what a  student has learned or can do in greater  in detail. This can be done in the form of a profile.

 

4. To aid Learning: Assessment can help students learn. Assessment can stimulates

learning activity and directs it towards the learning task to be assessed. By means assessment feedback they can recognise and build on their strengths and added their weakness. Receiving feedback is a motivating experience and an aid to further planning.

5. To improve teaching:

 Assessment information helps to review the effectiveness  learning arrangement. It helps to know the impact of teaching and make adjustments accordingly.

• Practice based assessment is providing for practice with feedback, so as to improve the learning achievement. It focuses on communication and interpersonal skills, decision making, leadership management and team working. Providing opportunity for students to improve their learning through practice with feedback, and then assessing the best for performance expressed is the correct approach in assessment. Apart from assessing students' knowledge and skills, the attitude towards rectifying mistakes based on feedback, striving for improvement through persistent efforts are also encouraged. 

•Evaluating student achievement of expected learning outcomes is referred towards Evidence based achievement. It involves determining the Expected Learning Outcomes (ELOs) of teaching a content area of a subject. Then arranging the teaching- learning process based on the ELOs selected. Gathering evidence for the realization of ELOs during teaching and assessing them. Based on the assessment of evidences gathered, during the teaching- learning process, the teacher can incorporate necessary changes in it.

•The purpose of Performance based assessment is to find out what each student is able to do with knowledge, in context. It is defined as evaluating student’s ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit of study to complete a given task.

•Examination based assessment,the tests that assess the subject knowledge and skills acquired by the students at the end of the instructional period is known as ‘Examination’. The one who is subjected to the tests called ‘Examinee’. It is an assessment, intended to measure a test takers knowledge, skill, attitude, etc.Examination should assess student’s ability to apply their knowledge, not only in academic context but also the real life situation outside the school. 

•Ipsative assessment,It measures the performance of the student in comparison to his previous performance. Also, it helps in keeping in check how well they are undertaking their tasks. Ipsative connect with efforts to enhance motivation to learn. It can be used in physical education classes to measure fitness progress over the school year.

•Synoptic assessment,it gives confidence students to unite elements of their learning from different parts of a plan and to show their build up knowledge and thoughtful of a topic or subject area. It basically enables students to show their talents and skills. And it shows how in-depth knowledge they have about the subject. Basically, it helps in measuring the capacity to apply knowledge to understand the subject. 

•Dynamic assessment,it measures what students can achieve when teaches about unfamiliar topic or field. An example can be teaching students Spanish for a short while. It helps to see how students who do not have any prior knowledge adopt it. It can be helpful to review the potential for students who have a mainly underprivileged backdrop. Frequently it is used in advance of the main body of teaching.

•Diagnostic assessment can help you identify your student’s current knowledge of a subject, their skill sets and capabilities, and to clarify misconceptions before teaching takes place. Knowing student’s strengths and weaknesses can help you better plan what to teach and how to teach it.

•A prognostic assessment expands the findings of an assessment with analysis of abilities and potentials with a further dimension: the future development of the concerned person, as well as the necessary conditions, timeframe and limits. Finding the right person for an executive position needs a reliable comprehension of the personality as well as the possibilities and limits concerning the personal development.