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12 Terms to Know About Assessment and Evaluation

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12 Terms to Know About Assessment and Evaluation

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The process of gathering data about student learning : assessment is the category that includes all remaining terms.

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Oliva & Gordon (2013) use these two terms interchangeably "to denote the general process of appraisal" (299). It involves determining the degree of achievement through measurement and testing.

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Oliva & Gordan do not differentiate, but many do, with assessment referring to the ongoing process of learning and improvement, and evaluation refering to the final measure of acheievement.

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Evaluation is a lens the teacher uses to judge accomplishment.  Results can be Norm Referenced or Criterion Referenced.

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Compares the student's  performance to that of other students to determine level of achievement. This form of assessment is usually used in classroom testing

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The student's success is determined based on the mastery of the objectives and not on comparison to the performance of other students. It is based on the student's performance in relation to the criteria established from instructional objectives.

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Comparison: Criterion and Norm Referenced Assessment

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Comparison: Criterion and Norm Referenced Assessment

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Ongoing assessment of our students through, tests, observations, interviews, and project based work allows teachers to take remedial action to help students or monitor their own teaching instruction (p.301).  It takes place during instruction. Feedback allows teachers and students to refocus learning as necessary to ensure success.

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Used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the end of a course or unit. "It reveals whether or not pre-specified outcomes of instruction have been achieved." (p.301) The results may then be used to revise the program and methods used.

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"A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills" -- Jon Mueller
Performance-Based Assessment is a type of authentic assessment employed by many teachers; practices collectively known as performance or performance-based assessment, basically a personalized approach to demonstration of prespecified outcomes." (p.311)

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Using Evaluation Data to Inform Instruction:

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Using Evaluation Data to Inform Instruction:

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Systemic collection and analysis of data to determine the effectiveness of specific programs and/or interventions to ensure that desired outcomes and intentions are met.  Data can inform decision making, guide curriculum and instruction, and provide opportunities for remediation and intervention.
Classroom level: track student IEP progress, ensure instruction is meeting needs of learners, monitor indicators of reading readiness.
District level: identify general strengths and weaknesses, assess how “interventions and action plans are having an impact on the social and learning climate of the school” (Willms, p.99), compare schools in relation to one another locally and provincially.
National/Global: identify general levels of achievement to gauge proficiencies and deficiencies.
Source: Willms, J. D. (2002) Monitoring School Performance, A Guide for Educators.  New York: Falmer Press.

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The process by which educators examine assessment data to identify student strengths and deficiencies and apply those findings to their practice. This process of critically examining curriculum and instructional practices relative to students' actual performance on standardized tests and other assessments yields data that help teachers make more accurately informed instructional decisions (Mertler, 2007; Mertler & Zachel, 2006). Local assessments—including summative assessments (classroom tests and quizzes, performance-based assessments, portfolios) and formative assessments (homework, teacher observations, student responses and reflections)—are also legitimate and viable sources of student data for this process.

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Continuous evaluation is an evaluation system in which a student's learning is evaluated/judged on a continuous/ongoing basis and in a holistic manner. This type of evaluation has benefits to both teachers and students. It enables teachers to have a certain level of comfort in planning and implementing their instruction. It also assists students to develop confidence in their learning process and create and foster a student-centered classroom. Examples of continuous evaluation are; portfolios, self-evaluations, reports and also evaluations that would help teachers to identify the needs of the students in the class.

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Systematic Evaluation is the assessment of the extent to which the education system achieves set social, economic and transformational goals. It does this by measuring learner performance as well as the context in which learners’ experience learning and teaching.
Use and Application
For example, the Assessment Policy that is being used can require that Systematic Evaluation to be conducted in three grades of the education system, like Grades 3, 6 and 9.
The main purpose of Systematic Evaluation is to benchmark performance and track the progress made towards the achievement of the transformational goals of the education system in respect to access, redress, equity and quality.
Systematic Evaluation aspires to promote and ensure accountability, and thus gain the confidence of the public in education.

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http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/occasional_papers/2006/RAND_OP170.pdf