Importance of Assessing Students
Educators use assessments as a way of gathering data. Specifically, Black & William (1998) use the term assessment to "refer to all those activities undertaken by teachers -- and by their students in assessing themselves -- that provide information to be used as feedback to modify teaching and learning activities" (p. 2). Similarly, the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol (2006) for Collaboration in Education mentions that teachers "can gain an understanding of students’ existing beliefs and knowledge, and can identify incomplete understandings, false beliefs, and naïve interpretations of concepts that may influence or distort learning" (p. 5). This enhances the learning for students while teachers are able to capture an understanding of their effective and ineffective pedagogical choices. As a result, teachers can fine tune their lessons using the collected data and further advance their students' mastery.
According to Brown & Knight (1994), multiple methods of assessments should be employed to increase the reliability of the data. Furthermore, assessments should not be confused with evaluations. Assessments are used to measure of the effectiveness of teaching and learning whereas evaluations are used to measure a value. It is, therefore, important for teachers to remember that grading and evaluation are not the sole factor in assessing a student's work. In fact, it is a part of the of assessment, but not the entire whole of the student.
According to Brown & Knight (1994), multiple methods of assessments should be employed to increase the reliability of the data. Furthermore, assessments should not be confused with evaluations. Assessments are used to measure of the effectiveness of teaching and learning whereas evaluations are used to measure a value. It is, therefore, important for teachers to remember that grading and evaluation are not the sole factor in assessing a student's work. In fact, it is a part of the of assessment, but not the entire whole of the student.
Purpose of Assessing
It is widely agreed that there are three purposes of assessment: assessment for learning (differentiation), assessment as learning (personalization), and assessment of learning (individualization).
The WNCP (2006) explains that assessment for learning can occur throughout the learning process. Specifically, Stiggins et al. (2004) explain that these assessments are ones "that we conduct throughout teaching and learning to diagnose student needs, plan our next steps in instruction, provide students with feedback they can use to improve the quality of their work, and helps students see and feel in control of their journey to success" (p. 31). Furthermore, assessment for learning allows teachers to differentiate their lessons and create learning opportunities for individual learners. Cambridge Assessment International Education provides five main processes around assessment for learning:
In assessment as learning, students are more actively engaged in monitoring their learning. The WNCP (2006) suggests that it "is the regulatory process in metacognition; that is, students become adept at personally monitoring what they are learning, and use what they discover from the monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations, and even major changes in their thinking" (p. 41). Here, the teacher has to model the concept of self-assessment. It can also include peer assessments and group assessments as a form of assessment as learning.
The assessment of learning are assessments that occur after the learning has happened and it sums up learning at a specific point in time (Stiggins et al., 2004). These assessments are summative assessments that often compare students' performances. It is specifically used to establish what students know, in addition to using the data to make decisions about how to move forward with a student's learning.
The WNCP (2006) explains that assessment for learning can occur throughout the learning process. Specifically, Stiggins et al. (2004) explain that these assessments are ones "that we conduct throughout teaching and learning to diagnose student needs, plan our next steps in instruction, provide students with feedback they can use to improve the quality of their work, and helps students see and feel in control of their journey to success" (p. 31). Furthermore, assessment for learning allows teachers to differentiate their lessons and create learning opportunities for individual learners. Cambridge Assessment International Education provides five main processes around assessment for learning:
- Questioning enables a student, with the help of their teacher, to find out what level they are at.
- The teacher provides feedback to each student about how to improve their learning.
- Students understand what successful work looks like for each task they are doing.
- Students become more independent in their learning, taking part in peer assessment and self-assessment.
- Summative assessments (e.g. the student’s exam or portfolio submission) are also used formatively to help them improve.
In assessment as learning, students are more actively engaged in monitoring their learning. The WNCP (2006) suggests that it "is the regulatory process in metacognition; that is, students become adept at personally monitoring what they are learning, and use what they discover from the monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations, and even major changes in their thinking" (p. 41). Here, the teacher has to model the concept of self-assessment. It can also include peer assessments and group assessments as a form of assessment as learning.
The assessment of learning are assessments that occur after the learning has happened and it sums up learning at a specific point in time (Stiggins et al., 2004). These assessments are summative assessments that often compare students' performances. It is specifically used to establish what students know, in addition to using the data to make decisions about how to move forward with a student's learning.
Types of Assessments
There are three types of assessments: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Diagnostic and formative assessments are considered assessments for learning while summative assessments are considered assessments of learning.
Taken from The University of Adelaide (Crisp, 2005)
The diagnostic assessment is used to access students' prior knowledge and to locate the starting point of a lesson. They are often referred to as "pre-assessments" since they provide teachers with information on how to adjust the lesson based on students' prior knowledge and understanding. Diagnostic assessments can include interviews, journals, pre-tests, running records, or surveys. Teachers can also use graphic organizers, KWL charts, or questioning to obtain information about their students' prior knowledge. Brown & Knight (1994) regard diagnostic assessment as a sub-set of formative assessment.
The following is an example of a diagnostic assessment for operations:
The following is an example of a diagnostic assessment for operations:
The formative assessment is used to monitor student progress on an ongoing basis. Simply put, these are assessments teachers can use to identify the status of a student's learning. Furthermore, teachers can use feedback to provide students with support and adjust their teaching methods. It is often referred to as assessment for learning because it helps teachers support learners and consequently adapt their own teaching. Wiliam (2013) suggests that there "is a growing body of evidence that suggests that attention to what is sometimes called formative assessment, or assessment for learning, is one of the most powerful ways of improving student achievement" (p. 15). Formative assessments can include think-pair-shares, questioning, three way summaries, quizzes, exit slips, text rendering, and so on. Classroom assessment techniques (CATs) can also be used to gage teaching and learning, which are outlined in Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for Faculty by Cross & Angelo.
Summative assessment is an evaluation at the end of the unit or at the end of a learning activity. It is often referred to as assessment of learning because it assesses the learning that has already happened. It is essentially the confirmation of a student's learning. Summative assessments include a performance task (rubric or checklist), an oral or written product, a test on the unit, or a standardized test. These are considered forms of evaluation.
Both summative and formative assessments can be further broken down into formal and informal assessments. Formal assessments come from standardized tests that provide teachers with data driven information. It also shows how students are doing compared to the average of the classroom. Informal assessments are not driven by data. Scholastic explains that informal assessments are driven by content and performance instead. I find this table from the National Foundation for Education Research provides a clear summary of the two.
In conclusion, as a way to summarize, I have provided the following table on different ways to assess -- whether it be diagnostic, formative or summative:
Summative assessment is an evaluation at the end of the unit or at the end of a learning activity. It is often referred to as assessment of learning because it assesses the learning that has already happened. It is essentially the confirmation of a student's learning. Summative assessments include a performance task (rubric or checklist), an oral or written product, a test on the unit, or a standardized test. These are considered forms of evaluation.
Both summative and formative assessments can be further broken down into formal and informal assessments. Formal assessments come from standardized tests that provide teachers with data driven information. It also shows how students are doing compared to the average of the classroom. Informal assessments are not driven by data. Scholastic explains that informal assessments are driven by content and performance instead. I find this table from the National Foundation for Education Research provides a clear summary of the two.
In conclusion, as a way to summarize, I have provided the following table on different ways to assess -- whether it be diagnostic, formative or summative:
Diagnostic |
Formative |
Summative |
Checklists Do Now Interviews Observations Pre-tests Questioning Runing Records Surveys |
Conference Discussions Exit Slips Journals Peer Evaluations Questions (Open and Closed) Quizzes Self Evaluations Think-Pair-Share |
Exams Exhibitions Portfolios Projects Quizzes Standardized Tests Unit Test |
References
- Black, P. & Wiliam D. (1998). Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappa International.
- Brown, S. & Knight, P. (1994). Assessing learners in higher education. RoutledgeFalmer. Abingdon, England.
- Cross, K.P. & Angelo, A. (1988). Classroom assessment techniques: a handbook for faculty. The National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Stiggins, R. J. et al. (2004). Classroom assessment for student learning. Assessment Training Institute Inc. Portland, Oregon.
- Wiliam, D. (2013). Assessment: the bridge between teaching and learning. Voices from the Middle, 21 (2).
- WNCP. (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind: assessment for learning, assessment as learning, and assessment of learning.
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