The Importance of Assessment

Effective testing enhances a teacher's instructional effectiveness.
(Popham, 2018:1)

Educational assessment is a formal attempt to determine students’ status with
respect to educational variables of interest. (Popham, 2018:10)

 Purpose of testing:

- to provide feedback about learner progress;

- to provide pupils with educative feedback;

- to motivate learners;

- to provide a record of progress;

- to provide a statement of current attainment;

- to assess learners' readiness for future learning;

- to provide evidence of teacher and school effectiveness.

(Kyriacou, 2007:105-106)

Traditional Reasons That Teachers Assess Students:

• To determine students’ current status
• To monitor students’ progress
• To assign grades to students
• To determine instructional effectiveness

 (Popham, 2018:17)

 High-stake tests have an impact on classroom instructional practice.

Today’s Reasons for Teachers to Know about Assessment:

•  Test results determine public perceptions of educational effectiveness.
• Students’ assessment performances are increasingly being included as part of the teacher evaluation process.
• As clarifiers of instructional intentions, assessment devices can improve instructional quality.

 (Popham, 2018:17)

A wide variety of assessment instruments is important.

How to create classroom assessment approaches to measure students’ achievement (the knowledge and/or skills students acquire) and affect (the educationally pertinent attitudes, interests, and values influenced by school).

How to judge the quality of the assessment devices created is important.

References

Kyriacou, C (2007) Essential Teaching Skills.

Popham, W. James (2018) Classroom Assessment.