UNIT–1

MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT AND

EVALUATION

Written By:
Prof. Dr. Rehana Masrur

Reviewed By:
Dr. Naveed Sultana
 CONTENTS
Sr. No Topic Page No
Introduction ...................................................................................................................3

Objectives .....................................................................................................................3

1.1 Concept of Measurement Assessment and Evaluations ...................................4

1.2 Classroom Assessment; Why, what, How and When ......................................5

1.3 Types of Assessment........................................................................................6

1.4 Characteristics of Classroom Assessment......................................................10

1.5 Role of Assessment .......................................................................................12

1.6 Principles of classroom Assessment ..............................................................13

1.7 Self Assessment Questions ............................................................................16

1.8 References/Suggested Readings ...................................................................17

 INTRODUCTION
In order to ensure and enhance the effectiveness of teaching- learning process teachers need to get
information regarding students’ performance. Based upon this information, teachers make critical
instructional decisions for example whether to use a certain teaching method or not, whether the progress
of students towards attainment of educational goals is satisfactory or not, what if a student is having
learning deficiency, How to motivate a student etc. Measurement, testing, assessment and evaluation
primarily aims to yield the information regarding students’ performance in order to help the teacher
and/or stakeholders to determine a certain degree, to which a learner has acquired particular knowledge,
has understood particular concepts or has mastered certain skill. This information is used to scaffold the
next step in the learning process.
There is no exaggeration to say that measurement, assessment and evaluation collectively form an integral
and indispensible part of the teaching leaning process. Measurement, assessment and evaluation provides
comprehensive and objective information through which not only the learning of an individual student is
recognized and responded but also through this information the overall effectiveness of an education
program can be judged, maintained and/or enhanced.
Therefore for a teacher, it is highly significant to understand the concepts of measurement, assessment
and evaluation as for as their role in instruction. He/she must also be able to plan and conduct procedures
in an effective way and to interpret and use the information obtained through these procedures to
maximize the effectiveness of teaching learning process.

OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, the prospective teacher will be able to:
 indicate the primary differences among the terms measurement, assessment and evaluation
 explain the types of assessment used in the classroom milieu
 compare and contrast the assessment for learning and assessment of learning
 summarize the need for assessment
 highlight the role of assessment in effective teaching-learning process
 describe major characteristics of classroom assessment
 identify the core principles of effective assessment
1.1 Concept of Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation
Despite their significant role in education the terms measurement, assessment, and evaluation are usually
confused with each other. Mostly people use these terms interchangeably and feel it very difficult to
explain the differences among them. Each of these terms has a specific meaning sharply distinguished
from the others.
Measurement: In general, the term measurement is used to determine the attributes or dimensions of
object. For example, we measure an object to know how big, tall or heavy it is. In educational perspective
measurement refers to the process of obtaining a numerical description of a student’s progress towards a
pre-determined goal. This process provides the information regarding how much a student has learnt.
Measurement provides quantitative description of the students’ performance for example Rafaih solved
23 arithmetic problems out of 40. But it does not include the qualitative aspect for example, Rafaih’s
work was neat.
Testing: A test is an instrument or a systematic procedure to measure a particular
characteristic. For example, a test of mathematics will measure the level of the
learners’ knowledge of this particular subject or field.
Assessment: Kizlik (2011) defines assessment as a process by which information is
obtained relative to some known objective or goal. Assessment is a broad term that
includes testing. For example, a teacher may assess the knowledge of English
language through a test and assesses the language proficiency of the students
through any other instrument for example oral quiz or presentation. Based upon this
view, we can say that every test is assessment but every assessment is not the test.
The term ‘assessment’ is derived from the Latin word ‘assidere’ which means ‘to sit beside’. In contrast
to testing, the tone of the term assessment is non-threatening indicating a partnership based on mutual
trust and understanding. This emphasizes that there should be a positive rather than a negative association
between assessment and the process of teaching and learning in schools. In the broadest sense assessment
is concerned with children’s progress and achievement.

In a comprehensive and specific way, classroom assessment may be defined as:

the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information
about a child’s progress and achievement during the development of knowledge,
concepts, skills and attitudes. (NCCA, 2004)
In short, we can say that assessment entails much more than testing. It is an ongoing process that includes
many formal and informal activities designed to monitor and improve teaching and learning.

Evaluation: According to Kizlik (2011) evaluation is most complex and the least understood term.
Hopkins and Antes (1990) defined evaluation as a continuous inspection of all available information in
order to form a valid judgment of students’ learning and/or the effectiveness of education program.
The central idea in evaluation is "value." When we
evaluate a variable, we are basically judging its
worthiness, appropriateness and goodness.
Evaluation is always done against a standard,
objectives or criterion. In teaching learning process
teachers made students’ evaluations that are usually
done in the context of comparisons between what
was intended (learning, progress, behaviour) and
what was obtained.

Evaluation is much more comprehensive term than measurement and assessment. It includes both
quantitative and qualitative descriptions of students’ performance. It always provides a value judgment
regarding the desirability of the performance for example, Very good, good etc.
Kizlik 2011 http://www.adprima.com/measurement.htm

Activity 1.1: Distinguish among measurement, assessment and evaluation with the
help of relevant examples

1.2 Classroom Assessment: Why, What, How and When

According to Carole Tomlinson ―Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction." It is
an integral part of teaching learning process. It is widely accepted that effectiveness of teaching learning
process is directly influenced by assessment. Hamidi (2010) developed a framework to answer the Why;
What, How and When to assess. This is helpful in understanding the true nature of this concept.
Why to Assess: Teachers have clear goals for instruction and they assess to ensure that these goals have
been or are being met. If objectives are the destination, instruction is the path to it then assessment is a
tool to keep the efforts on track and to ensure that the path is right. After the completion of journey
assessment is the indication that destination is ahead.
What to Assess: Teachers cannot assess whatever they themselves like. In classroom assessment,
teachers are supposed to assess students' current abilities in a given skill or task. The teacher can assess
students’ knowledge, skills or behaviour related to a particular field.
Who to Assess: It may seem strange to ask whom a teacher should assess in the classroom, but the issue
is of great concern. Teachers should treat students as 'real learners', not as course or unit coverers. They
should also predict that some students are more active and some are less active; some are quick at
learning and some are slow at it. Therefore, classroom assessment calls for a prior realistic appraisal of
the individuals teachers are going to assess.
How to Assess: Teachers employ different instruments, formal or informal, to assess their students.
Brown and Hudson (1998) reported that teachers use three sorts of assessment methods – selected-
response assessments, constructed-response assessments, and personal-response assessments. They can
adjust the assessment types to what they are going to assess.
When to Assess: There is a strong agreement of educationists that assessment is interwoven into
instruction. Teachers continue to assess the students learning throughout the process of teaching. They
particularly do formal assessments when they are going to make instructional decisions at the formative
and summative levels, even if those decisions are small. For example, they assess when there is a change
in the content; when there is a shift in pedagogy, when the effect of the given materials or curriculum on
learning process is examined.
How much to Assess: There is no touchstone to weigh the degree to which a teacher should assess
students. But it doesn't mean that teachers can evaluate their students to the extent that they prefer. It is
generally agreed that as students differ in ability, learning styles, interests and needs etc so assessment
should be limited to every individual's needs, ability and knowledge. Teachers’ careful and wise judgment
in this regard can prevent teachers from over assessment or underassessment.
Activity: Critically discuss the significance of decisions that teachers take regarding classroom
Assessment.

1.3 Types of Assessment

"As coach and facilitator, the teacher uses formative assessment to help support and enhance student
learning, As judge and jury, the teacher makes summative judgments about a student's achievement..."
Atkin, Black & Coffey (2001)
Assessment is a purposeful activity aiming to facilitate students’ learning and to improve the quality of
instruction. Based upon the functions that it performs, assessment is generally divided into three types:
assessment for learning, assessment of learning and assessment as learning.

a) Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment)

Assessment for learning is a continuous and an ongoing assessment that allows teachers to monitor
students on a day-to-day basis and modify their teaching based on what the students need to be successful.
This assessment provides students with the timely, specific feedback that they need to enhance their
learning. The essence of formative assessment is that the information yielded by this type of assessment is
used on one hand to make immediate decisions and on the other hand based upon this information; timely
feedback is provided to the students to enable them to learn better. If the primary purpose of assessment is
to support high-quality learning then formative assessment ought to be understood as the most important
assessment practice.
 The National Center for Fair and Open The Value of Formative Assessment.
Testing (1999). http://www.fairtest.org/examarts/winter99/k-forma3.html

Assessment for learning has many unique characteristics for example this type of assessment is taken as
―practice." Learners should not be graded for skills and concepts that have been just introduced. They
should be given opportunities to practice. Formative assessment helps teachers to determine next steps
during the learning process as the instruction approaches the summative assessment of student learning. A
good analogy for this is the road test that is required to receive a driver's license. Before the final driving
test, or summative assessment, a learner practice by being assessed again and again to point out the
deficiencies in the skill
Another distinctive characteristic of formative assessment is student involvement. If students are not
involved in the assessment process, formative assessment is not practiced or implemented to its full
effectiveness. One of the key components of engaging students in the assessment of their own learning is
providing them with descriptive feedback as they learn. In fact, research shows descriptive feedback to be
the most significant instructional strategy to move students forward in their learning. Descriptive
feedback provides students with an understanding of what they are doing well. It also gives input on how
to reach the next step in the learning process.
Role of assessment for learning in instructional process can be best understood with the help of following
diagram.

Source:
http://www.stemresources.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=70
Garrison, & Ehringhaus, (2007) identified some of the instructional strategies that can be used for
formative assessment:
 Observations. Observing students’ behaviour and tasks can help teacher to identify if students are on
task or need clarification. Observations assist teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to
inform instructional planning.
 Questioning strategies. Asking better questions allows an opportunity for deeper thinking and
provides teachers with significant insight into the degree and depth of understanding. Questions of
this nature engage students in classroom dialogue that both uncovers and expands learning.
 Self and peer assessment. When students have been involved in criteria and goal setting, self-
evaluation is a logical step in the learning process. With peer evaluation, students see each other as
resources for understanding and checking for quality work against previously established criteria.
 Student record keeping It also helps the teachers to assess beyond a "grade," to see where the
learner started and the progress they are making towards the learning goals.
b) Assessment of Learning (Summative Assessment)
Summative assessment or assessment of learning is used to evaluate students’ achievement at some point
in time, generally at the end of a course. The purpose of this assessment is to help the teacher, students
and parents know how well student has completed the learning task. In other words summative
evaluation is used to assign a grade to a student which indicates his/her level of achievement in the course
or program.
Assessment of learning is basically designed to provide useful information about the performance of the
learners rather than providing immediate and direct feedback to teachers and learners, therefore it usually
has little effect on learning. Though high quality summative information can help and guide the teacher to
organize their courses, decide their teaching strategies and on the basis of information generated by
summative assessment educational programs can be modified.
Many experts believe that all forms of assessment have some formative element. The difference only lies
in the nature and the purpose for which assessment is being conducted.
Comparing Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning
Assessment for Learning Assessment of Learning
(Formative Assessment) (Summative Assessment)

Checks how students are learning and is there any Checks what has been learned to date.
problem in learning process. it determines what to
do next.

Is designed to assist educators and students in Is designed to provide information to those not
improving learning? directly involved in classroom learning and
teaching (school administration, parents, school
board), in addition to educators and students?

Is used continually? Is periodic?

Usually uses detailed, specific and descriptive Usually uses numbers, scores or marks as part of
feedback—in a formal or informal report. a formal report.

Usually focuses on improvement, compared with the Usually compares the student's learning either
student's own previous performance with other students' learning (norm-referenced) or
the standard for a grade level (criterion-
referenced)

Source: adapted from Ruth Sutton, unpublished document, 2001, in Alberta Assessment Consortium
c) Assessment as Learning
Assessment as learning means to use assessment to develop and support students' metacognitive skills.
This form of assessment is crucial in helping students become lifelong learners. As students engage in
peer and self-assessment, they learn to make sense of information, relate it to prior knowledge and use it
for new learning. Students develop a sense of efficacy and critical thinking when they use teacher, peer
and self-assessment feedback to make adjustments, improvements and changes to what they understand.

Garrison, C., Defining Formative and Summative Assessment

& http://www.education.vic.gov.au/images/content/studentlearning/forofas.jpg
Ehringhaus,
M. (2007)

Self Assessment: ‘Formative assessment results in improved teaching learning process.’ Comment
on the statement and give arguments to support your response.

1.4 Characteristics of Classroom Assessment

1. Effective assessment of student learning begins with educational goals.
Assessment is not an end in itself but a vehicle for educational improvement. Its effective practice, then,
begins with and enacts a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and strive to help them
achieve. Educational values/ goals should drive not only what we choose to assess but also how we do so.
Where questions about educational mission and values are skipped over, assessment threatens to be an
exercise in measuring what's easy, rather than a process of improving what we really care about.

2. Assessment is most effective when it reflects an understanding of learning as

multidimensional, integrated, and revealed in performance over time.
Learning is a complex process. It entails not only what students know but what they can do with what
they know; it involves not only knowledge and abilities but values, attitudes, and habits of mind that
affect both academic success and performance beyond the classroom. Assessment should reflect these
understandings by employing a diverse array of methods, including those that call for actual performance,
using them over time so as to reveal change, growth, and increasing degrees of integration. Such an
approach aims for a more complete and accurate picture of learning, and therefore, firm base for
improving our students' educational experience.

3. Assessment works best when it has a clear, explicitly stated purposes.

Assessment is a goal-oriented process. It entails comparing educational performance with educational
purposes and expectations -- those derived from the institution's mission, from faculty intentions in
program and course design, and from knowledge of students' own goals. Where program purposes lack
specificity or agreement, assessment as a process pushes a campus towards clarity about where to aim and
what standards to apply; assessment also prompts attention to where and how program goals will be
taught and learned. Clear, shared, implementable goals are the cornerstone for assessment that is focused
and useful.

4. Assessment requires attention to outcomes but also and equally to the experiences that lead
to those outcomes.
Information about outcomes is of high importance; where students "end up" matters greatly. But to
improve outcomes, we need to know about student experience along the way -- about the curricula,
teaching, and kind of student effort that lead to particular outcomes. Assessment can help us understand
which students learn best under what conditions; with such knowledge comes the capacity to improve the
whole of their learning.

5. Assessment works best when it is ongoing not episodic.

Assessment is a process whose power is cumulative. Though isolated, "one-shot" assessment can be better
than none, improvement is best fostered when assessment entails a linked series of activities undertaken
over time. This may mean tracking the process of individual students, or of cohorts of students; it may
mean collecting the same examples of student performance or using the same instrument semester after
semester. The point is to monitor progress towards intended goals in a spirit of continuous improvement.
Along the way, the assessment process itself should be evaluated and refined in light of emerging
insights.

6. Assessment is effective when representatives from across the educational community are
involved.
Student education is a campus-wide liability, and assessment is a way of acting out that responsibility.
Thus, while assessment attempts may start small, the aim over time is to involve people from across the
educational community. Faculty plays an important role, but assessment's questions can't be fully
addressed without participation by educators, librarians, administrators, and students. Assessment may
also involve individuals from beyond the campus (alumni/ae, trustees, employers) whose experience can
enrich the sense of appropriate aims and standards for learning. Thus understood, assessment is not a task
for small groups of experts but a collaborative activity; its aim is wider, better-informed attention to
student learning by all parties with a stake in its improvement.
7. Assessment makes a difference when it begins with issues of use and illuminates questions
that people really care about.
Assessment recognizes the value of information in the process of improvement. But to be useful,
information must be connected to issues or questions that people really care about. This implies
assessment approaches that produce evidence that relevant parties will find credible, suggestive, and
applicable to decisions that need to be made. It means thinking in advance about how the information will
be used, and by whom. The point of assessment is not to collect data and return "results"; it is a process
that starts with the questions of decision-makers, that involves them in the gathering and interpreting of
data, and that informs and helps guide continuous improvement.

9. Through effective assessment, educators meet responsibilities to students and to the public.
There is a compelling public stake in education. As educators, we have a responsibility to the public that
support or depend on us to provide information about the ways in which our students meet goals and
expectations. But that responsibility goes beyond the reporting of such information; our deeper obligation
-- to ourselves, our students, and society -- is to improve. Those to whom educators are accountable have
a corresponding obligation to support such attempts at improvement. (American Association for Higher
Education; 2003)

Activity 1.2: Effective assessment involves representatives from across the

educational community: Discuss

1.5 Role of Assessment

"Teaching and learning are reciprocal processes that depend on and affect one another. Thus, the
assessment component deals with how well the students are learning and how well the teacher is
teaching" Kellough and Kellough, (1999)

Assessment does more than allocate a grade or degree classification to students – it plays an important
role in focusing their attention and, as Sainsbury & Walker (2007) observe, actually drives their learning.
Gibbs (2003) states that assessment has 6 main functions:
1. Capturing student time and attention
2. Generating appropriate student learning activity
3. Providing timely feedback which students pay attention to
4. Helping students to internalize the discipline’s standards and notions of equality
5. Generating marks or grades which distinguish between students or enable pass/fail decisions to be
made.
6. Providing evidence for other outside the course to enable them to judge the appropriateness of
standards on the course.

Surgenor (2010) summarized the role of assessment in learning in the following points.
 It fulfills student expectations
 It is used to motivate students
 It provide opportunities to remedy mistakes
 It indicate readiness for progression
 Assessment serves as a diagnostic tool
 Assessment enables grading and degree classification
 Assessment works as a performance indicator for students
 It is used as a performance indicator for teacher
 Assessment is also a performance indicator for institution
 Assessment facilitates learning in the one way or the other.

Activity 1.3: Enlist different role of formative and summative assessment in teaching
learning process.

1.6 Principles of Classroom Assessment

Hamidi (2010) described following principles of classroom assessment.

1. Assessment should be formative

Classroom assessment should be carried out regularly in order to inform on-going teaching and learning.
It should be formative because it refers to the formation of a concept or process. To be formative,
assessment is concerned with the way the student develops, or forms. So it should be for learning. In other
words, it has a crucial role in "informing the teacher about how much the learners as a group, and how
much individuals within that group, have understood about what has been learned or still needs learning
as well as the suitability of their classroom activities, thus providing feedback on their teaching and
informing planning. Teachers use it to see how far learners have mastered what they should have learned.
So classroom assessment needs fully to reach its formative potential if a teacher is to be truly effective in
teaching.

2. Should determine planning

Classroom assessment should help teachers plan for future work. First, teachers should identify the
purposes for assessment – that is, specify the kinds of decisions teachers want to make as a result of
assessment. Second, they should gather information related to the decisions they have made. Next, they
interpret the collected information—that is, it must be contextualized before it is meaningful. Finally, they
should make the final, or the professional, decisions. The plans present a means for realizing instructional
objectives which are put into practice as classroom assessment to achieve the actual outcomes.

3. Assessment should serve teaching

Classroom assessment serves teaching through providing feedback on pupils' learning that would make
the next teaching event more effective, in a positive, upwards direct. Therefore, assessment must be an
integral part of instruction. Assessment seems to drive teaching by forcing teachers to teach what is going
to be assessed. Teaching involves assessment; that is, whenever a student responds to a question, offers a
comment, or tries out a new word or structure, the teacher subconsciously makes an assessment of the
student’s performance. So when they are teaching, they are also assessing. A good teacher never ceases to
assess students, whether those assessments are incidental or intended.

4. Assessment should serve learning.

Classroom assessment is an integral part of learning process as well. The ways in which learners are
assessed and evaluated strongly affect the ways they study and learn. It is the process of finding out who
the students are, what their abilities are, what they need to know, and how they perceive the learning will
affect them. In assessment, the learner is simply informed how well or badly he/she has performed. It can
spur learners to set goals for themselves. Assessment and learning are seen as inextricably linked and not
separate processes because of their mutually-influenced features. Learning by itself has no meaning
without assessment and vice-versa.

5. Assessment should be curriculum-driven

Classroom assessment should be the servant, not the master, of the curriculum. Assessment specialists
view it as an integral part of the entire curriculum cycle. Therefore, decisions about how to assess
students must be considered from the very beginning of curriculum design or course planning.

6. Assessment should be interactive

Students should be proactive in selecting the content for assessment. It provides a context for learning as
meaning and purpose for learning and engages students in social interaction to develop oral and written
language and social skills. Assessment and learning are inextricably linked and not separate processes,
Effective assessment is not a process carried out by one person, such as a teacher, on another, a learner, it
is seen as a two-way process involving interaction between both parties. Assessment, then, should be
viewed as an interactive process that engages both teacher and student in monitoring the student's
performance.

7. Assessment should be student-centered

Since learner-centered methods of instruction are principally concerned with learner needs, students are
encouraged to take more responsibility for their own learning and to choose their own learning goals and
projects. Therefore, in learner-centered assessment, they are actively involved in the process of
assessment. Involving learners in aspects of classroom assessment minimizes learning anxiety and results
in greater student motivation.

8. Assessment should be diagnostic

Classroom assessment is diagnostic because teachers use it to find out learners' strengths and weaknesses
during the in-progress class instruction. They also identify learning difficulties. If the purpose of
assessment is to provide diagnostic feedback, then this feedback needs to be provided in a form – either
verbal or written – that is for learners to understand and use.

9. Assessment should be exposed to learners

Teachers are supposed to enlighten learners' accurate information about assessment. In other words, it
should be transparent to learners. They must know when the assessments occur, what they cover in terms
of skills and materials, how much the assessments are worth, and when they can get their results and the
results are going to be used. They must also be aware of why they are assessed because they are part of
the assessment process. Because the assessment is part of the learning process, it should be done with
learners, not to them. It is also important to provide an assessment schedule before the instruction begins.

10. Assessment should be non-judgmental

In the classroom assessment, everything focuses on learning which results from a number of such factors
as student needs, student motivation, teaching style, time on task, study intensity, background knowledge,
course objectives, etc. So there is no praise or blame for a particular outcome of learning. Teachers should
take no stance on determining who has done better and who has failed to perform well. Assessment
should allow students to have reasonable opportunities to demonstrate their expertise without confronting
barriers

11. Assessment should develop a mutual understanding

Mutual understanding occurs when two people come to a similar feeling of reality. In second language
learning, this understanding calls for a linguistic environment in which the teacher and students interact
with each other based on the assessment objectives. Therefore, assessment has the ability to create a new
world image by having the individuals share their thoughts helpful in learning process. When learning
occurs, this is certainly as a result of common understanding between the teacher and students.

12. Assessment should lead to learner's autonomy

Autonomy is a principle in which students come to a state of making their own decisions in language
learning. They assume a maximum amount of responsibility for what they learn and how they learn it.
Autonomous learning occurs when students have made a transition from teacher assessment to self-
assessment. This requires that teachers encourage students to reflect on their own learning, to assess their
own strengths and weaknesses, and to identify their own goals for learning. Teachers also need to help
students develop their self-regulating and met cognitive strategies. Autonomy is a construct to be fostered
in students, not taught, by teachers.

13. Assessment should involve reflective teaching

Reflective teaching is an approach instruction in which teachers are supposed to develop their
understanding of teaching (quality) based on data/information obtained and collected through critical
reflection on their teaching experiences. This information can be gathered through formative assessment
(i.e., using different methods and tools such as class quizzes, questionnaires, surveys, field notes,
feedback from peers, classroom ethnographies, observation notes, etc) and summative assessment (i.e.,
different types of achievement tests taken at the end of the term).
Hamidi, Fundamental Issues in L2 Classroom Assessment Practices. Academic Leadership
Eameal Online Journal. Volume 8 Issue 2
(2010)
http://www.sisd.net/cms/lib/TX01001452/Centricity/Domain/2073/ALJ_ISSN1533-
7812_8_2_444.pdf

1.7 Self Assessment Questions

 Highlight the role of assessment in teaching and learning Process
 Discuss critically the principles of assessment with the help of relevant examples
 Differentiate between assessment for learning and assessment of learning
1.8 References/Suggested Reading’s

 Catherine Garrison, Dennis Chandler & Michael Ehringhaus, (2009). Effective Classroom
Assessment: Linking Assessment with Instruction: NMSA & Measured Progress Publishers

 Kathleen Burke, (2010). How to assess authentic learning. California: Corwin Press

 Charles Hopkins, (2008). Classroom Measurement and Evaluation. Illinois: Peacock

 Carolin Gipps, ( 1994) Beyond Testing : Towards a Theory of Educational Assessment Routledge
Publishers