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Diagnostic Assessment: Examples & Overview

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What the assessment is and why it is used?
A diagnostic assessment is a form of pre-assessment where teachers can use to gather information about a student's previous knowledge and skills about the topic before their instruction at the beginning of a unit.
It may help teachers determine what students understand in order to build on the students' strengths and address their specific needs.

Features of Diagnostic Assessment

A diagnostic assessment must happen at the beginning of a learning experience such as a new semester or lesson unit.

It should focus on understanding a student's current knowledge base.

A diagnostic assessment must identify the strengths and areas of improvement for the student.

It must be non-graded

It should establish a baseline to compare what a student knew prior to a lesson and what they learned after in order to measure growth.

Advantages of Diagnostic Assessment

It helps you to tie learning outcomes to specific goals and objectives.

Diagnostic assessments provide substantial data for creating an effective curriculum that improves learning outcomes for students.

It makes the teaching and learning process more efficient by zeroing in on content that needs to be taught.

It creates a rewarding and amicable learning environment for the teacher and the students.

Diagnostic assessment allows the teacher to map out a meaningful and efficient instruction plan for the course duration.

It creates a baseline for future assessment. At the end of the course, the teacher can compare students' performance viz a viz their level of knowledge at the beginning of the course, and record any improvements.

Diagnostic assessment allows the teacher to individualize instruction. From the data, you can identify students who need extra tutoring on a particular portion of a unit or course of study. In the same vein, if a teacher discovers that a group of students has already mastered a large portion of a unit of study, he can design activities that allow that group to go beyond the standard curriculum for that topic through independent or small group study.

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What the assessment is and why it is used?
Performance assessment is “A test in which the test taker actually demonstrates the skills the test is intended to measure by doing real-world tasks that require those skills, rather than by answering questions asking how to do them.”
Performance Assessment measures students' ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from units of study. Typically, the task challenges students to use their higher-order thinking skills to create a product or complete a process.

Features of Performance Assessment

Templates and scoring rubrics; For students, performance assessments are a balancing act between the open-ended nature of the project, and the competencies and mastery they need to demonstrate to meet learning objectives. You can either share the full guidelines of how the project will be graded with your students. Instructors can also build templates for intermittent assessments that explain what must happen at each stage and when—for instance, an abstract, a first draft, and one for the final presentation.

Examples/benchmarks: Good (or bad); Students who have set open-ended tasks for summative assessment will find previous examples crucial to success. These examples could be ‘ideal’ versions of work for them to follow. However, they could also be flawed or low-quality work that can be used as part of a teaching activity. For example, students can then try evaluating and discussing in class what they would improve, why and how in order to arrive at the correct answer.

Help your students prepare and practice; Although many of your students will have participated in performance assessments in the past, there will be others to whom the concept is completely new. Setting milestones, in the form of mini-performance assessments, in preparation for the final tally will help them get used to thinking in a new way. This may help reduce anxiety that might affect their overall performance.

Leverage your community; It’s rare that a performance assessment would just touch on a single course—they are almost always interdisciplinary. Rather than producing a performance assessment and the communications you need with your students alone—get assistance from fellow instructors in your field. This can also be a form of professional development for instructors. After all, if performance assessment is meant to measure real-world application of knowledge rather than producing another version of your lessons, your tasks should reflect real-world situations. And reality is seldom based on a single subject area.

Advantages of Performance Assessment

Performance assessment looks at higher-order thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. Other features like time management and clear communication are also tested in these kinds of assessments. This ultimately leads to a deeper and more meaningful learning process.

High-stakes standardized testing evaluates whether students know enough about a subject. Performance assessments, on the other hand, measure whether students can apply the knowledge appropriately in various contexts.

If interim goals are created and applied correctly, performance assessments allow students to monitor themselves. This type of metacognition, particularly in a test environment, is enormously beneficial to higher-level student learning.

Any instructors who use performance assessments need to include the standards they expect and the steps that they must take in applying the knowledge in the curriculum. This makes “teaching to the test” a positive teaching and learning strategy.

Performance assessments go hand-in-hand with modern teaching strategies like active learning and critical thinking. If a student undertakes collaboration and discussion in a classroom context (and in formative assessment), those learned skills will be more easily applied and evaluated in summative assessments, and eventually reflected in students’ performance.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wvRJyTExVU

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Assessment For Learning vs. Assessment Of Learning

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Assessment for Learning

Assessment for learning involves evidence from the teacher about their students' knowledge, understanding and skills to and used this during lesson planning. Also called ‘formative assessment', it usually occurs throughout the lesson and learning process to identify which areas students need more help in and which they have mastered.

Assessment for learning:

the assessment helps students learn better, rather than just achieve a better mark

involves formal and informal assessment activities as part of learning and to inform the planning of future learning

objectives and goals are clear for the learning activity

provides effective feedback that motivates the student and in order to improve

adopts a growth mindset

uses self-assessment and peer assessment as part of the regular classroom routines

involves teachers, students and parents reflecting on evidence

includes all learners.

Assessment as Learning

Assessment as learning describes when students assess themselves. Students keep track of their own improvement, think of questions and use different approaches to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment information for upcoming learning.

Assessment as learning:

students accept responsibility for their knowledge

allows students to ask themselves questions about their knowledge

learning goals are created by students and teachers to encourage growth and development

students can use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment to understand the next steps in learning

encourages peer assessment, self-assessment and reflection.

students are more involved in the learning process.

critical thinking skills and problem-solving are often practiced and it encourages students to set achievable goals for themselves and keep track of their progress

Assessment of Learning

Assessment of learning helps teachers collect evidence of student learning to assess achievement against outcomes and standards. Also called ‘summative assessment', it usually occurs at bench marks throughout the school year or at the end of a unit, term or semester, and may be used to rank or grade students. The strength of assessment of learning for grading or ranking purposes depends on the validity, reliability and weighting placed on any task. Its strength as an opportunity for learning depends on the nature and quality of the feedback.

Assessment of learning:

is used to plan future learning goals and pathways for students

serves as evidence of achievement to the education community; parents, educators and the students themselves.

is a clear explanation for all audiences.

The methods used will be based by:

the accumulated evidence of student learning (results, test scores, etc)

the processes used for gathering the evidence

the provided student feedback.

For instance, a formal assessment is an opportunity to gather evidence of student knowledge and can be used for grading and ranking purposes (assessment of learning). The formal assessment can also serve as feedback for students to improve if they're not meeting their learning goals (assessment for learning).

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Assessment of learning: These assessments are usually grade-based and they're also called summative assessments.

Exams

Portfolios

Final projects

Standardized tests

Assessment as learning: Assessments that compare previous results with a second attempt or "personal best", it encourages students to set goals and improve their skills, also called an Ipsative assessment.

Portfolios

Project-based learning activities

Assessment for learning: Assessments for learning should be ongoing and practical; also known as formative and diagnostic assessments.

Short quizzes

Journal entries

Student interviews

Student reflections

Classroom discussions

Entry and exit tickets

Kahoot!

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Examples

Textbook pre-course test

Diagnostic Questionnaires (Survey)

Mind map / Poster (Application Tools: Padlet)

Quiz (Application Tools: Kahoot! and Quizlet)

Entry Slips

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References
*Diagnostic Assessment: Purpose, Strategies, Examples
https://www.formpl.us/blog/diagnostic-assessment

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Examples

Science lab

Shoot a film

Argue a case

Presentations

Role Plays

Open response questions

Projects

Portfolios

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References
https://tophat.com/blog/performance-assessment/

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1. Kampen, Maria. “6 Types of Assessments (and How to Use Them).” Prodigy Game, 24 Sept. 2021, www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/types-of-assessment.

2. “ASSESSMENT FOR, AS AND OF LEARNING.” Approaches, NSW Education Standards, www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/assessment/approaches. Accessed 11 Feb. 2022.

3. “Assessment For Learning vs. Assessment Of Learning.” YouTube, uploaded by CLAS Network, 31 Aug. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wvRJyTExVU.

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Compare formative and summative assessments

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Formative Assessments

What are they?

Formative assessment is a process of evaluating the students’ knowledge as they learn. It is a method of on-going assessment and it involves putting together a series of quick-fire questions and exercises to help you monitor the learner’s progress during the course.

As students learn, they will experience challenges along the way—they may find it difficult to understand a concept or to grasp a few examples. Without formative assessments, it is almost impossible for the teacher to recognize when the student is struggling and to provide the right support.

Key Points:

1. It evaluates the learning process and the learner’s progress at the same time.

2. A formative assessment is collaborative as it measures the student’s progress and the effectiveness of the teaching method.

3. Formative assessments are interwoven with the ongoing teaching and learning process.

4. It is a fluid method of evaluation. The student’s progress is not measured against a standard or benchmark unlike what you will find with summative assessment methods.

5. Formative assessment requires the instructors and the students to become intentional learners.

6. The aim of formative assessment is to gather actionable feedback that improves the overall teaching and learning process.

7. It is a diagnostic method of evaluation.

8. Results from formative assessments are immediately made available.

9. Formative assessments are non-graded.

Examples of Formative Assessment

Impromptu Quiz

Polls

One Minute Papers

Entry Slips

Exit Slips

Interviews and Focus Groups

Peer Feedback

Self-Assessment

Advantages of Formative Assessment

1. Formative assessment helps students to align their learning goals with the aims and objectives of the coursework or training. It keeps the learning goals in the minds of everyone and instructors can help students to resolve any challenges they face before they get off track.

2. Formative assessment improves the overall learner performance. As teachers monitor learners’ progress, they can utilize the feedback to improve the learning experience and ultimately, the learner’s performance.

3. It is an effective way to boost your students’ motivation. Formative assessment spurs learners to smash their goals by consistently tracking their progress towards specific knowledge objectives.

4. By tracking learners’ progress using different formative assessment methods, the teacher can create personalized learning experiences for the students. Formative assessment helps you to understand the unique needs of your students and know the best ways to support them on their individual learning journeys.

5. Formative assessment empowers the instructors to make data-driven decisions. Using the data gathered from frequent learning checks, the instructor can make valid and informed decisions that are grounded in real-time experiences.

6. It helps instructors to adjust their teaching methods to better suit the needs of the learners.

Disadvantages of Formative Assessment

1. Formative assessment can be time-consuming because the teacher needs to implement several methods to effectively monitor students’ progress as they learn.

2. The more formative assessments you incorporate in the learning process, the lesser time there is for actual teaching.

3. Planning formative assessment processes can be tedious and exhausting for the instructor.

4. The instructor’s bias or any other form of subjectivity affects the validity of the whole process and can create an inaccurate representation of the students’ progress.

5. Since formative assessments are non-graded, students may not be eager or motivated to participate in them; especially when they are accustomed to getting grades or points for their academic progress.

Resource:
Formative Assessment: Meaning, Types & Examples (formpl.us)

What is formative assessment? - Teach. Learn. Grow. (nwea.org)
Beard, Erin. 2021.

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Formative Assessment: Meaning, Types & Examples

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Formative assessment allows you to evaluate students’ performance in real-time, and also improve the course content and deliv

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What is it?

Summative Assessment is any method of evaluation performed at the end of a unit that allows a teacher to measure a student's understanding, typically against standardized criteria. The purpose of summative assessment is to gauge students' comprehension of the material presented at the end of a particular unit of work, and is often measured with a grade or percentage, depending on the subject.

They require clear expectations and timelines to be set to give students the best opportunity to succeed. Teachers use rubrics, or assessment criteria, to ensure students understand what to expect in any such test. The results of summative assessments are usually significant, used to determine whether a student passes a unit or even a class.

Examples:

Written Assessment: Students will be tasked with writing an original piece, such as a narrative or analytical essay.

Performance Assessment: With this type, students will be required to do an activity or task that will showcase their abilities.

Standardized Assessment: Students will take an exam created for a given curriculum and will be measured against existing rubric, shared with the students throughout the course.

Oral Assessment: Students will craft and deliver an oral piece, such as a speech or presentation.

Additional Summative Assessment Ideas:

Classroom or school-wide scavenger hunt on the material presented

Crossword puzzle incorporating math problems or vocabulary words

Classroom or school-wide science fair

Advantages of Summative Assessments:

Gauge student understanding.

Use in academic records.

Help identify weak areas in students.

Accelerate individuals who already mastered the material.

Help assess how well you teach (how you present, type of instruction, etc.)

Disadvantages of Summative Assessments:

Can demote individuals (students who don’t perform well.)

Can be disruptive for the class (stressful for students.)

Not always the perfect gauge of student understanding (students don’t always test well).

Students could underperform due to a poorly made assessment.

In most schools, there isn’t time to address students’ weaknesses found by assessments.

Resources:
What is Summative Assessment? | A Guide to Summative Assessment | Study.com

Pros & Cons of Different Summative Assessments - Teaching Resources and Lesson Plans - Teaching Ideas 4U by Amy Mezni

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Teaching Resources and Lesson Plans - Teaching Ideas 4U by Amy Mezni

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Pros of Summative Assessments:

Gauge student understanding.

Use in academic records.

Help identify weak areas in students.

Accelerate individuals who already mastered the material.

Help assess how well you teach (how you present, type of instruction, etc.)

Cons of Summative Assessments:

Can demote individuals (students who don't perform well.)

Can be disruptive for the class (stressful for students.)

Not always the perfect gauge of student understanding (students don't always test well.)

Students could underperform due to a poorly made assessment.

In most schools, there isn't time to address students' weaknesses found by assessments.

Although there are many pros and cons, the good news is that you can be well on your way to utilizing the summative assessment to its highest form with the right combination of assessment types and grade weight.

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Pros & Cons of Different Summative Assessments - Teaching Resources and Lesson Plans - Teaching Ideas 4U by Amy Mezni

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Pros of Summative Assessments: Gauge student understanding. Use in academic records. Help identify weak areas in students. Accelerate individuals who already mastered the material. Help assess how well you teach (how you present, type of instruction, etc.) Cons of Summative Assessments: Can demote individuals (students who don't perform well.)