Assessment

Assessment  - Definition

•      Assessment is a comprehensive term, which includes collection of information of students learning from multiple sources. Black and Wiliam (1998) define assessment  broadly to include all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used diagnostically to alter teaching and learning.

•      It is the process of observing and documenting children’s development, the work they do, and how they do it, with the goal of gathering meaningful information about the child in order to make educational decisions that will benefit the child. An assessment may be a test, or methods such as observations, interviews, behaviour monitoring etc.

Four Paradigms of Assessments

(1)   Assessment of Learning

The ‘assessment of learning’ is defined as a process whereby someone attempts to describe and quantify the knowledge, attitudes or skills possessed by another.  Assessment of learning occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards. (summative)  Teacher direction is paramount and the student has little involvement in the design or implementation of the assessment process in these circumstances.

(2)   Assessment for Learning

Teacher designs learning.  Teacher collects evidence.  Teacher judges what has been learnt (and what has not been learnt).

(3)   Assessment as Learning

Assessment as learning occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals. The ‘assessment as learning’ is more connected with diagnostic assessment .Assessment as learning generates opportunities for self assessment and peer assessment. Students take on increased responsibility to generate quality information about their learning and that of others.

(4)   Assessment in Learning

Teacher and student co-construct learning.  Teacher and student co-construct assessment.  Teacher and student co-construct learning progress map.  Student are the centre of learning. Student monitors, assesses and reflects on learning. Student initiates demonstration of learning (to self and others). Teacher acts as a coach and a mentor.