BS.

Education (Part-2, Semester-2)

Classroom Assessment
Unit.1 : Concept of Classroom Assessment

1. Introduction

Assessment is the systematic basis for making inferences about the learning and
development of students. It is the process of defining, selecting, designing, collecting, analyzing,
interpreting, and using information to increase students' learning and development. It is a process
by which information is obtained relative to some known objective or goal. It is the
process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs, usually in measurable terms.
Classroom assessment is a systematic approach to formative evaluation, used by instructors to
determine how much and how well students are learning. It is a tool provides key information during
the semester regarding teaching and learning so that changes can be made as necessary.
Evaluation is the process of making judgments based on criteria and evidence. Assessment is the
process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs, usually in measurable terms.
Measurement refers to the process by which the attributes or dimensions of some physical object
are determined.

2. What is Assessment?

Assessment has been defined by various educational experts. It includes;

• According to Allen 2004);

“Assessment involves the use of empirical data on student learning

to refine programs and improve student learning”.

• Huba and Freed (2000);

“Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing

information from multiple and diverse sources in order to develop
a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can
do with their knowledge as a result of their educational
experiences used to improve subsequent learning”.

• Palomba and Banta (1999)

Assessment is the systematic collection, review, and use of

information about educational programs undertaken for the
purpose of improving student learning and development.
3. Purpose of Classroom Assessment

The purpose of assessment is to gather relevant information about student performance or

progress, or to determine student interests to make judgments about their learning process. It
empowers both teachers and their students to improve the quality of learning in the classroom"
through an approach that is "learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative,
context-specific, and firmly rooted in good practice. It has following main purposes;

• Inform and guide teaching and learning: A good classroom assessment plan
gathers evidence of student learning that informs teachers' instructional decisions. It
provides teachers with information about what students know and can do. To plan
effective instruction, teachers also need to know what the student misunderstands
and where the misconceptions lie. In addition to helping teachers formulate the next
teaching steps, a good classroom assessment plan provides a road map for students.
Students should, at all times, have access to the assessment so they can use it to
inform and guide their learning.
• Help students set learning goals: Students need frequent opportunities to reflect
on where their learning is at and what needs to be done to achieve their learning
goals. When students are actively involved in assessing their own next learning steps
and creating goals to accomplish them, they make major advances in directing their
learning and what they understand about themselves as learners.
• Assign report card grades: Grades provide parents, employers, other schools,
governments, post-secondary institutions and others with summary information
about student learning.
• Motivate students: students will be motivated and confident learners when they
experience progress and achievement, rather than the failure and defeat associated
with being compared to more successful peers.

4. Steps of classroom assessment

Classroom assessment following steps:

• Planning: what do i want students to learn? This stage includes the first
fundamental component of assessment: formulating statements of intended learning
outcomes.

• Monitoring: How do I teach effectively? This stage includes the second and third
fundamental components: Developing or Selecting Assessment Measures &
Creating Experiences Leading to Outcomes.

• Evaluating; Are my outcomes being met? This stage involves evaluation of

assessment data (part of the fourth component).

• Reflecting; How do I use what I've learned? This stage involves reinforcing
successful practices and making revisions to enhance student learning (part of the
fourth component).

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5. What is an Evaluation?

Evaluation is a process that critically examines a program. It involves collecting and

analyzing information about a program's activities, characteristics, and outcomes. Its purpose is to
make judgments about a program, to improve its effectiveness, and/or to inform programming
decisions The primary purpose of evaluation, in addition to gaining insight into prior or existing
initiatives, is to enable reflection and assist in the identification of future change. It is the process
of examining a program or process to determine what's working, what's not, and why. It
determines the value of learning and training programs and acts as blueprints for
judgment and improvement. Evaluations are normally divided into two categories:
• Formative: A formative evaluation (sometimes referred to as internal) is a method
for judging the worth of a program while the program activities are forming (in
progress). They can be conducted during any phase of the process. This part of the
evaluation focuses on the process. It tells the designers, learners, instructors, and
managers to monitor how well the instructional goals and objectives are being met.
Its main purpose is to catch deficiencies take place that allows the learners to
master the required skills and knowledge.
• S u m m a t i v e : A summative evaluation (sometimes referred to as external) is a
method of judging the worth of a program at the end of the program activities
(summation). The focus is on the outcome.

6. What is Measurement?

Measurement, the process of associating numbers with physical quantities and phenomena.
Educational measurement refers to the use of educational assessments and the analysis of data such
as scores obtained from educational assessments to infer the abilities and proficiencies of students.
Methods of measuring student learning are often characterized as summative or formative
assessments: ... They are cumulative and often reveal what students have learned at the end of a
unit or the end of a course. Within a course, summative assessment includes the system for
calculating individual student grades. Academic achievement is almost entirely measured with
grades (by course or assignment) and GPA. ... The accomplishment of learning objectives and the
acquisition of skills and competencies can be measured at the course, program, and institutional
level.

7. Distinction between assessment, evaluation & measurement

Evaluation is the process of making judgments based on criteria and

evidence. Assessment is the process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs,
usually in measurable terms. Measurement refers to the process by which the attributes or
dimensions of some physical object are determined. Assessment is a process by which information
is obtained relative to some known objective or goal. Assessment is a broad term that includes
testing. A test is a special form of assessment. Measurement and evaluation measure pupils'
achievement and motivate pupils' learning. Pupils have the right to know the progress they are
making whether they have attained the objectives of the subject matter or not, thus results must be
made known to them. It can also encourage pupils to study more.

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8. Individual and group assessment

Individual reading assessments are assessments where the teacher spends time with every
student individually to assess their reading skills. Individual assessment is defined as a process of
gathering information regarding a person's knowledge, skills, aptitude and temperament through
the use of individually administered selection tools, including tests and interviews, and integrating
this information to make an. Individual reading assessments are assessments where the teacher
spends time with every student individually to assess their reading skills. This helps teachers fully
understand the progress of the students who can benefit with special undivided attention. However,
a major disadvantage is that the teacher would need a lot of time to complete an assessment of all
the students in a large class. Individual assessments may be an option for teachers when their main
focus is to work on reading skills or literacy skills. However, other subject teachers who focus on
content may not have the time to conduct such assessments. In these situations, teachers may use
individual assessments for specific students to understand more about their reading difficulty.

.Group assessments are assessments conducted across the class at the same time. Group
assessments are assessments conducted across the class at the same time. While the teacher may
need to record or evaluate the results later, a lot of classroom time is saved in this method. Group
assessments are ideal for teachers who need to understand the reading level of their students but do
not have time to assess each student individually.

9. Comparison between standardized and classroom assessment

A standardized test is comprehensive and measures what the student has learned over a
particular grading period - a semester or year. A classroom test measures what has been learned
over a shorter period. With the increased emphasis on accountability in education, students are
subjected more to both tests.Unlike standardized tests, teacher developed tests have not
been tested on sample populations of students and do not allow you to compare your students to a
standard. Instead, these tests (also called criterion-reference tests), help test a student s
understanding of a particular (and often limited) body of knowledge. According to
Mueller, standardized assessments only require test takers to recognize or recall information

10. Conclusion

Assessment, evaluation & measurement are concepts used in education to explain how the
progress of learning and the final learning outcomes of students are assessed. Measurement the
process assigning numbers according to set of rules. It is used to categorize and/ or quantify
variables. It help to quantify individual’s achievement, personality, attitudes, habits and skills.
Assessment is a process of collection of data to understanding state or condition of thing or issue
by observation and measurement. It is a broad term that including assessment and a test is a form
of assessment too. Through this evidence of students achievement can be obtained and evaluated,
also it collect information with respect to objective or goal. Evaluation is a process that include a
series of steps such as establishing objective, classifying objective, defining objective, selecting
indicators and comparing data with objectives. It is concerned with making judgments on the

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worth or value of performance to answer question. It is also the process of obtaining, analyzing
and interpreting information to determent the extent to which students achieve instructional
objective. It is also considered as qualitative aspect of determining the outcomes of learning.