Basic Concepts and Principles in Assessment in Learning

I. Introduction
Teaching and learning include a lot of instructional decisions to enhance and increase
student learning, hence, quality of instruction is strongly connected to the structure of information
on which these instructional decisions are made. Therefore, the most important point is the
determination of the way in which good, valid, and reliable information about student learning
can be provided (O’neil, et al., 2004).
As teaching is causing learning among learners, teachers need to be thoroughly aware of
the processes in determining how successful they are in the aforementioned task. They need to
know whether their students are achieving successfully the knowledge, skills and values inherent
in their lessons. For this reason, it is critical for beginning teachers, to build a repertoire of
effective strategies for performing their executive function of assessment, measurement and
evaluation of student learning. This topic on Basic Concepts Purposes and Nature of Assessment
is geared towards equipping you with the attainment of the following objectives:
1. Define the following terms: assessment, evaluation, measurement, test, non-test,
testing, formative assessment, traditional assessment, portfolio assessment, and
performance assessment
2. Discriminate the different purposes of assessment
3. Differentiate the types of assessment; and
4. Explain the nature of assessment
II. Learning Content
Why do we need to have a perspective on the basic concepts, purposes and nature of
assessment? How does classroom assessment functions in the life of the learners?
We use the general 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.

Assessment refers to the collection of data to describe or better understand and issue. It
measures “where we are in relation to where we should be?” Many consider it the same as
Formative Evaluation. It is a process by which information is obtained relative to some known
objective or goal. It is a teacher’s way of gathering information about student’s have learned, and
they use them make important decisions-about student’s grades, the content of future lessons, the
revision of the structure or content of a course.
Evaluation is the process of interpreting the evidence and making judgements and
decisions based on the evidence. It determines “how well did we do what we set out to do?”
Evaluation is tied to stated goals and objectives. Many equate this to summative evaluation. It
refers to the process of determining the extent to which instructional objectives are attained. It
also refers to the comparison of data to standard for purpose of judging worth or quality.
Measurement is a part of the educational evaluation process whereby some tools or
instruments are used to provide a quantitative description of the progress of students towards
desirable educational goals. It can be either be objective (as in testing) or subjective (as in
perceptions). It refers to the process by which the attributes or dimensions of some physical
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object are determined. It is also a process of measuring the individual’s intelligence, personality,
attitudes and values, achievement and anything that can be expressed quantitatively. It answers
the question, “how much”?
Test or Testing is a systematic procedure to determine the presence or absence of certain
characteristics or qualities in a learner. Test is an instrument designed to measure any quality,
ability, skill or knowledge. Testing is a method used to measure the level of performance or
achievement of the learner. Testing refers to the administration, scoring and interpretation of an
instrument (procedure) designed to elicit information about performance in a sample of a
particular area of behavior.

Difference between Assessment and Evaluation

ASSESSMENT EVALUATION
Content: timing, primary purpose
Formative: ongoing, to improve learning Summative: final, to gauge quality
Orientation: focus of
Process-oriented: how learning is going Product-oriented: what’s been learned
Findings: uses thereof
Diagnostic: identify areas for improvement Judgmental: arrive at an overall
grade/score

ASSESSMENT EVALUATION

Is ongoing Provides closure

Both
Is positive Require criteria Is judgmental
use measures
Is individualized Is applied against
one evidence-driven
standards
Provides feedback
Show shortfalls

Modes of Assessment
Traditional Assessment The preparation of the instrument is time consuming and prone to
cheating. The objective paper-and-pen test which usually assess low level thinking skills. The
scoring is objective and administration is easy because students can take the test at the same time.
Performance Assessment. A mode of assessment that requires actual demonstration of skills or creation of
products of learning. Scoring tends to be subjective without rubrics. Preparation of the instrument is relatively
easy and it measures behavior that cannot be deceived. The learner performs a behavior to be measured in a

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“real-world” context. The learner demonstrates the desired behavior in a real-life context and the focus of
control is with the student.

Portfolio Assessment. A process of gathering multiple indicators of student’s progress to support

course goals in dynamic, ongoing and collaborative processes. Development is time consuming
and rating tends to be subjective without rubrics. It measures student’s growth and development.

Types of Assessment Processes.

Placement Assessment. It determines the entry behavior of students. Determines the student’s
performance at the beginning of instruction. It also determines the position of the student’s in the
instructional sequence and determines the mode of evaluation beneficial for each student.
Diagnostic Assessment. It determines the student’s levels of competence usually given the start
of the lesson. It identifies those who have already achieve mastery of the requisite learning and to
help classify students into tentative small group of instruction.
Formative Assessment. It is given to monitor learning progress of the students and provide
feedback to both parents and students. It answers the question “Where we are in relation to where
we should be?” This type of assessment can be done informally and need not use traditional
instruments such as quizzes and test.
Summative Assessment. It is given at the end of a unit to determine if the objectives were
achieved and tends to be formal and use traditional instruments such as tests and quizzes. It
answers the question “How well did we do what we set out to do?” It also determines the extent
of the student’s achievement and competence and provides a basis for assigning grades. It
provides the data from which reports to parents and transcripts can be prepared.

Nature of Assessment
Assessment of Learning. Determines student’s background knowledge and skills; tracks
student’s progress in understanding.
Assessment as Learning. The student’s reflects on results of assessment, charts his/her own
progress, and plans next steps to improve performance; builds metacognition as it involves the
student in setting and monitoring own learning goals
Assessment of Learning. Being summative, it measures student’s attainment of standards.

III. Learning Task

Answer the following questions using MS Word and submit to Google Classroom
Name:_______________________ Block:_______________________
Part I. To what does each of the following brief descriptions refer?
1. A process of quantifying a student’s performance in a learning area
2. Making judgment about the quality of student’s performance in a class
3. Evaluation undertaken by a teacher for grading purposes
4. Evaluation conducted by a teacher to determine how well the students are coping
with a lesson
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 5. Evaluation done prior to formal instruction to determine student’s entry behavior
in a learning area.
6. Assessment done by a teacher at the start of the school year to determine the
personality characteristics of his students.
7. Assessment for the purpose of giving grades at the end of a marking term
8. Assessment to determine the progress of teaching and learning
9. A method of assessment wherein the students has to write his answers to
questions or problems given.
10. The gathering of information to help teachers understand the learner, monitor
instruction, and establish a climate conducive for learning.
Part II. Give a situation in the classroom where the teacher is doing assessment and evaluation.
Cite at least three scenarios.
Part III. As an experienced learner, which do you prefer, grades or learning? Explain your stand.

IV. References
Buendicho, Flordeliza C. Assessment of Student Learning 1, Rex Book Store, Manila,
2010

Garcia, Carlito D. Measuring and Evaluating Learning Outcomes: a Textbook in

Assessment of Learning 1 & 2, Books Atbp. Publishing corp., Mandaluyong City, 2008.