Assessment in an educational context as a process that decide, collect and make judgments about evidence relating to the goals of the learning and instructions. Assessment cycle has to be part of school improvement effort rather than an independent practice. The purpose of assessment is to obtain data about students’ performance, to reflect on how this information can be analyzed and to make decisions to modify instructions.
Assessment has to be:
- Integrated with instructions and learning outcomes
- Continual and ongoing
- Meaningful and original
- Collaborative and reflective
- Multi-dimensional-incorporating a variety of tasks
- Culturally and developmentally appropriate
- Focused on students strengths
- Built on how students learn
- Provide clear performance targets
What does each principle mean?
Let us discuss them below………
1- Integrated with instructions and learning outcomes
Assessment is meaningful to students: it is related to what they are learning and are able to do.
Assessment leads to goal setting: it provides them with effective feedback about their performance which enable them to fill specific gaps that is hindering their improvement
Assessment fosters transfer/integration with other curricular areas and application to daily life: it allows them to see the benefits of learning the content knowledge to become a better citizen who can contribute to develop the society further. The mathematics content knowledge is useful to solve a physics problem. The grammar rules are helpful to achieve the targets set for social studies……
Assessment reflects instructional strategies used: It provides me with a chance to demonstrate what I learned and have been trained to do with my teacher. The critical thinking level of a student is a result of the instructional strategies used in everyday classroom
Uses a wide variety of strategies and tools: If a teacher wants to assess the students reading level then she has to listen to her students’ reading. If a teacher wants to assess the students’ logical thinking then she has to ask them to solve a constructed response question rather than a multiple choice question.
Reflects a definite purpose: Why are we assessing a student? Assessment is used when there is a need that serves the learning process.
2- Continual and ongoing
Assessment occurs through all instructional activities: Everyday students are exposed to a new learning outcomes which has to be assessed. A teacher needs to know whether her students have mastered the content area or not. If students have mastered succeeded to achieve the assigned tasks then they can carry on to the next level. If students did not accomplish the planned instructional activity then a teacher has to adapt a new approach.
Assessment occurs systematically over a period of time: It is used continuously as part of everyday lesson.
Assessment demonstrates progress toward achievement of learning outcomes: It has to show that a student has developed a new concept or a new skill.
3- Meaningful and original
Assessment focuses on connecting prior knowledge and new knowledge (integration of information): An assessment task aims to determine if a student can recall prior knowledge and connect it to the new concepts to solve the problem.
Assessment focuses on authentic problem- solving contexts and tasks: learning is attractive to learners when it enable them to become better at doing something. An assessment is authentic when it is derived from the real life context of students’ daily experiences. A learner enthusiastically invest time and effort to learn more and to improve when assessment tasks are similar to daily problems that he/she is facing.
Assessment focuses on application of strategies for constructing meaning in new contexts: It is embedded in social, cultural and global situations. Assessment needs to open the door for a learner to reveal, criticize and prove.
4- Collaborative and reflective
Assessment encourages meaningful student involvement and reflection: An assessment tool has a clear purpose based on the learning targets set and shared with the learner. A learner is able to determine his performance level to identify the weakness and strength areas.
Assessment involves parents as partners: It provides parents with an accurate and reflective image of their child’s capabilities
Assessment focuses on collaborative review of products and processes to draw conclusions: Assessment has to have an impact on the teaching and learning process. It is an integral part of teaching. The information obtained from assessment cycle has to inform planning. Unless assessment is aligned with learning outcomes it will fail to inform planning.
5- Multi-dimensional-incorporating a variety of tasks
Assessment uses a variety of authentic strategies, tasks, and tools: The assessment strategy used has to match the learning outcomes content. The question her is: “What are you trying to assess?”. One single assessment strategy cannot be used every day throughout the academic year.
Assessment serves a variety of purposes and audiences: A mathematics formative assessment can indicate whether or not learners are scientifically literate if they are asked to solve a word problem related to a science concepts.
Reflects instructional tasks: An assessment provide an evidence that the designed learning activities have empowered learners to become proficient.
6- Culturally and developmentally appropriate
Assessment is suited to students’ developmental levels
Assessment is sensitive to diverse social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds
Assessment is unbiased
7- Focused on students strengths
Assessment identifies what students can do and are learning to do
Assessment identifies competencies in the development of knowledge, skills and strategies, and attitudes
Assessment considers preferred learning styles
Assessment focuses on celebrations of progress and success
Assessment provides for differentiation
Assessment provides information to compare a student’s performance with his or her other performances
8- Built on how students learn
Assessment uses sound educational practice based on current learning theory and brain research
Assessment fosters development of metacognition
Assessment considers multiple intelligences and learning styles
Assessment uses collaborative and cooperative strategies
Assessment considers research on the role of memory in learning
Assessment reflects current models of mathematics learning
9- Provide clear performance targets
Assessment encourages student involvement (setting criteria, measuring progress, working toward outcomes and standards)
Assessment encourages application beyond the classroom
Assessment provides a basis for goal setting
Assessment provides students with a sense of achievement
Assessment provides information that compares a student’s performance to predetermined criteria or standards
