What Is An Assessment | Types of Educational Assessment
What Is An Assessment | Types of Educational Assessment
What Is Assessment?
The term assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. What Is An Assessment | Types of Educational Assessment
Assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students.
What Is Educational Assessment?
Educational assessment is the process of assessing, monitoring, and documenting learning and teaching. It can also be used to identify students who need additional support, specialized academic programming, or social services.
A wide variety of methods or tools are used to assess the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, and/or educational needs of students. These include standardized tests, performance assessments, and documentation techniques such as portfolios, checklists, or anecdotal records.
The main purpose of assessment is to measure student achievement. It is designed to answer questions such as, “How does this student compare with others?”
The two most common types of assessments are standardized and informal. Standardized assessments, such as standardized tests or high-stakes tests, may be designed to assess a specific skill or knowledge that is defined by local, state, or national learning standards (see proficiency-based learning).
Informal assessments are non-standardized measures that can be given flexibly throughout the school year and are often personalized to each student. The information gained from informal assessments can provide a snapshot of a student’s skills in a particular area at any given time and help teachers develop individualized goals and instructional plans.
Whether formal or informal, standardized or informal, criterion-referenced or norm-referenced, assessments should be reliable and fair. That means they should not surprise or shock students and should reflect what the teacher has emphasized in class, with clear criteria for judging students’ performance.
Formative assessments are based on classroom activities, are based on concepts and skills taught in the classroom, and are designed to enhance learning. Summative assessments are based on summaries of the work students have done, are evaluative in nature, and are often assigned a grade.
Types of Educational Assessment
Educational assessment is the process of gathering systematic evidence about a student’s attainment of learning goals and objectives. It can serve as an accountability measure or instructional tool to monitor student progress and improve teaching practices.
There are many types of assessments used in education today, including diagnostic, formative, and summative. Understanding these different types will help you make informed decisions about how to assess your students.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is an instructional technique that allows teachers to track students progress throughout a lesson or learning period. It can include several different types of assessments.
One of the most common formative assessments is think-pair-share, which asks students to respond to three questions that relate to a concept they’ve just learned. They can then break off into pairs and discuss their responses.
Another form of formative assessment is observing students as they work on a project. It’s a great way to get a feel for how students are interacting with the assignment and whether or not they need any modifications.
Formative assessment also allows teachers to adjust their grading criteria before giving the summative test. This can help ensure that all of the same concepts are covered in the final evaluation.
Summative Assessment
Summative assessment occurs at the end of a unit, term, or year and measures students’ learning against state or national standards. It may include final projects, standardized tests, district benchmarks, or other summative activities.
Summative assessments can also be used to determine if students are ready for the next level of education or career. They can also be compared to the results of formative assessments to provide teachers with comprehensive insights into students progress and help them teach better next time.
Summative assessments can include a variety of tests, including multiple-choice items and written and oral responses with clear rubrics. They can also be creative projects, such as research reports or Socratic seminars.
Norm-Referenced Tests
Norm-referenced tests (NRTs) are standardized tests that compare individual student performance with the performance of a controlled, reference group. They are often used to evaluate educational programs, identify learning disabilities, and determine eligibility for special education services.
Compared to criterion-referenced tests, norm-referenced tests are easier to develop and less expensive to administer. They may include multiple-choice tests or open-ended questions.
Criterion-referenced tests, on the other hand, evaluate students’ performance against certain criteria, such as proficiency. The criteria might be based on expert judgment or external indicators, such as another well-established test.
Educators use norm-referenced tests in conjunction with other assessments to monitor students’ progress and ensure that they are reaching their curriculum goals. They can also be used to identify students who require extra help in a specific subject or area, such as reading.
Criterion-Referenced Tests
Criterion-Referenced Tests are large-scale standardized tests that measure students’ learning against a specific set of educational standards. These tests are used to evaluate student performance and determine how well schools are teaching the curriculum.
In elementary and secondary education, criterion-referenced assessments assess whether or not students have learned the skills necessary to pass a particular grade level. This type of assessment also allows teachers to determine how close their learners are to mastering a standard, allowing them to tailor instruction and assist their students in improving those skills.
Criterion-referenced tests also usually have a “cut score” or threshold of passing that the tester must hit to get an overall score. This cut-off number is based on judgment calls made by experts, such as the test development committee of a particular test.
Performance-Based Assessment
Unlike traditional tests, performance-based assessments require students to demonstrate their learning and skills through a product or process. This type of assessment can help teachers assess student knowledge in a way that is authentic and meaningful to the content they are teaching.
Educators who choose this approach should design assessments that reflect authentic scenarios that students will encounter outside of school and emphasize student ownership of their learning.
This is a great way to encourage students to apply their classroom skills and lessons to real-world situations. It also gives students a chance to see their learning needs and challenges more clearly.
