ASSESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

Module 1
Measurement, Assessment and
Evaluation in Outcomes-Based
Education

INTRODUCTION:
This chapter deals with the discussion of the basic concepts related to the
assessment of students’ learning. Assessment of learning focuses on the
development and utilization of assessment tool to improve the teaching-
learning process. It emphasizes on the use of testing for measuring
knowledge, comprehension and other thinking skills.
With the change in focus in instruction from content to learning outcomes
came the need to redefine and clarify the terms used to determine the
progress of students towards attainment of the desired learning outcomes.

Objectives:
At the end of the module, you should be able to:
1. differentiate between measurement, assessment and evaluation;
2. explain the meaning of assessment FOR. OF and AS learning;
3. enumerate and discuss the different types of assessment;
4. identify some characteristics that differentiate norm-referenced
interpretation from criterion-referenced interpretation; and
5. Compare and contrast the different types of assessment

Assessment, measurement and evaluation mean many different things.

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably in the field of education. In
this section, we shall point out the fundamental differences of the terms
assessment, testing, measurement and evaluation.
Pre-Discussion

Definition of Terms

Assessment - It is a systematic process of gathering, interpreting, and using

What do you think is the importance
this information about student learning. Assessment used to of assessmentfeedback
provide in learning? Discuss
to students and to serve as diagnostic tool for instruction. Ityour
is answer
a veryinpowerful
not less than 200
tool for educational improvement. This answers the questions,words “Was the
instruction effective?” and “Did the students achieve the intended learning
outcomes?”
Assessment is a general term that includes different ways that the
teachers used to gather information in the classroom. Information that helps
teachers understand their students, information that is used to plan and
monitor their classroom instruction, information that is sused for a worthwhile
classroom culture and information that is used for testing and grading.
The overall goal of assesment is to improve student’s learning and
provide students. Parents and teachers with reliable information regarding
student progress and extent of attainment of the expected learning outcomes.

Measurement- it is a process of quantifying or assigning number to the

individual’s intelligence, personality, attitudes and values, and achievement of
the students. It answers the question “How much?” It is the process of
determining or describing the attributes or characteristics of physical objects
generally in terms of quantity. When we measure we use some standard
instrument to find out how long, heavy, hot voluminous, cold, fast or straight
some things are.
In the field of education, the quantities and qualities of interest are
abstract, unseen and cannot be touched and so the measurement process
becomes difficult, hence, the need to specify the learning outcomes to be
measured. For example, knowledge of the subject matter is often measured
through standardized test results. In this case, the measurement procedureis
testing. The same concept can be measured in another way. We can ask a
group experts to a rate a student ( for a teacher’s) knowledge of the subject
matter in a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. In this
procedure, knowledge of the subject matter is measured through perceptions.

Types of Measurement

Objective (as in Testing) Subjective ( as in perceptions)

 Testing produces objective
measurements
 More stable
 Do not depend on the person or
individual taking the measurements
 sExpert ratings provide subjective
measurements
 Repeated measurements of the
same quantity ot quality of interest
will produce more or less the same
outcome
  Often differ from one assessor to the
next even if the same quantity or
quality is being measured

Whether one uses an objective or subjective assessment procedure, the

underlying principle in educational measurement is summarized by the following
formula:
“Measurement of Quantity or Quality of Interest = True value plus random
error”.

Test - is a form of assessment that answers the question “How does

individual students perform?”. Test is a formal and systematic instrument,
usually paper and pencil procedure designed to assess the quality, ability, skill
or knowledge of the students by giving a set of question in uniform manner.
A test is one of the many types of assessment procedure used to gather
information about the performance of students.

Testing is one of the different methods used to measure the level of

performance or achievement of the learners. It involves administration,
scoring and interpretation of the procedures designed to get information about
the extent of the performance of the students.

Evaluation - it refers to the process of judging the quality of what is good and
what is desirable. It is the comparison of data to a set of standard or learning
criteria for the purpose of judging the worth or quality.
Evaluation originates from the root word “value” and so when we evaluate,
we expect our process to give information regarding the worth,
appropriateness, goodness, validity or legality of something for which a
reliable measurement has been made. Evaluation is a process designated to
provide information that will help us to make a judgement about a particular
situation. The end result of evaluation is to adapt, reject or revise what has
been evaluated.
Objects of evaluation include instructional programs, school projects,
teachers, studentsand educational goals.

2 Categories of Evaluation

FORMATIVE
 method of judging the worth of a
program while activities are in progress
 focuses on the process
 Give opportunities to the proponents
learners and teachers how well the
objectives of the program are being
attained
 used in analyzing learning materials,
student learning and achievements and
teacher effectiveness
 
SUMMATIVE
 method of judging the worth of a
program at the end of program activities
 focuses on the result
 instrument used to collect data for
summative evaluation are questionnaire,
survey forms, interview/observation
guide and tests
 designed to determine the effectiveness
of a program or activity based on it’s
avowed purposes
As techniques for summative evaluation:
pretest-posttest with one group, pretest-
posttest with experimental and control
groups, one group descriptive analysis
  Subject of evaluation is wider than
assessment which focuses specifically
on student learning outcomes.

The preposition “for” in assessment FOR learning implies that assessment is

done to improve and ensure learning. This is referred to as FORmative assessment,
assessment that is given while the teacher is in the process of student formation
(learning). it ensures that learning is going on while teacher is in the process of
teaching. 1.2 Assessment FOR, OR and AS Learning

Assessment FOR Learning - teachers use assessment results to inform or adjust

theirteaching.

Assessment OF Learning - is usually given at the end of a unit, grading period or a

term like a semester. It is ment to assess learning for grading purposes, thus the
term Assessment OF Learning.

Assessment AS Learning - is associated with self-assessment. As the term implies,

assessment by itself is already a form of learning for the students.

Fig.1 Various Approaches to Assessment

Types of Assessment Procedures

1. Maximum Performance – used to determine what individuals can do when
performing at their best. Examples, aptitude tests and achievement tests.
2. Typical Performance – used to determine what individuals will do under natural
conditions. Examples, attitude, interest and personality inventories; observational
techniques; peer appraisal.

Format of Assessment
1. Fixed-choice Test – an assessment used to measure knowledge and skills
effectively and efficiently. Standard multiple-choice test is an example of instrument
used in fixed-choice test. Example is standard multiple choice test.
2. Complex-performance Assessment – an assessment procedure used to measure
the performance of the leaner in contexts and on problems valued in their own right.
Examples are hands-on laboratory experiment, projects, essays, oral presentation.

Types of Assessment Procedures

3. Maximum Performance – used to determine what individuals can do when
performing at their best. Examples, aptitude tests and achievement tests.
Assessment
AS Learning
 4. Typical Performance – used to determine what individuals will do under natural
conditions. Examples, attitude, interest and personality inventories; observational
techniques; peer appraisal.

Format of Assessment
1. Fixed-choice Test – an assessment used to measure knowledge and skills effectively
and efficiently. Standard multiple-choice test is an example of instrument used in fixed-
choice test. Example is standard multiple choice test.
2. Complex-performance Assessment – an assessment procedure used to measure
the performance of the leaner in contexts and on problems valued in their own right.
Examples are hands-on laboratory experiment, projects, essays, oral presentation.

Role of Assessment in Classroom Instruction

There are four roles of assessment in used in the instructional process, these are
placement assessment, formative and diagnostic assessment, and summative assessment.

1. Placement assessment is given at the beginning of instruction. Answers the

question "Does the learner possesses the knowledge and skills needed to begin the
planned instruction?” Example of instruments are: readiness test, aptitude test, and
pretest on course objectives, self-report inventories and observational techniques.
2. Formative and Diagnostic Assessment are given during instruction.
a. Formative Assessment. Type of assessment to monitor the learning
progress of the students during instruction, it provide immediate feedback to
both students and teacher regarding the success and failures of learning.
Examples are teacher-made test, custom made tests from textbooks
publishers, observational techniques.
b. Diagnostic Assessment. It aims to identify the weakness and strengths of
the students regarding the topics to be discussed and to determine the level
of competence of the students. Examples are diagnostic test, teacher-made
diagnostic test, and observational techniques.
3. Summative Assessment. It is given at the end of discussion. Its purpose are to
determine the extent which the instructional objectives have been met; to clarify
students’ mastery on the intended learning outcomes. Examples are teacher-made
survey test, performance rating scales and product scales.

Methods of Interpreting the Results

1. Norm-referenced Interpretation – It is used to describe student performance

according to the relative position in some known group. In this method of
interpretation it is assumed that the level of performance of students will not vary
much from one class to another. Examples are teacher made tests, custom-made
tests from textbooks and publishers, observational techniques.

2. Criterion-referenced Interpretation – it is used to describe student performance

according to a specified domain of clearly defined tasks. This methods of
interpretation is used when the teacher wants to determine how well the students
have learned specific knowledge and skills in a certain course or subject matter.
Examples are standardized aptitude and achievement tests, teacher-made survey
tests, interest inventories, adjustment inventories.

Other Types of Assessment:

3. Domain-referenced – it determines the learning in a particular filed or area of

subject.
4. Ipsative assessment. Refers to the process of self-assessment.
5. Authentic assessment. It determines what the students can do in real-life situations
rather than using some easy-to-score response questions.
6. Performance assessment – or performance-based assessment is an assessment in
which students’ are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful
application of essential knowledge and skills.
 7. Portfolio assessment – it is a systematic, longitudinal collection of student’s efforts,
progress and achievements in one or more areas over a period of time. It measures
the growth and development of students.

Other Types of Test

Non-standardized Test versus Standardized Test

1. Non-standardized test is a type of test developed by the classroom teachers.
2. Standardized test is a type of test developed by test specialists. It is administered,
scored and interpreted using a certain standard condition.
Objective Test versus Subjective Test
1. Objective test is a type of test in which two or more evaluators give an examinee a
same score.
2. Subjective test is a type of test in which the scores are influenced by the judgment of
the evaluators, meaning there is no correct answer.
Supply Test versus Fixed-response Test
1. Supply test is a type of test that requires the examinees to supply an answer, such as
an essay test item or completion or short answer test.
2. Fixed-response test is a type of test that requires the examinees to select an answer
from a given option such as multiple-choice test, matching type of test, or true/false
test.
Individual Test versus Group Test
1. Individual test is a type of test administered to student on a one-on-one basis using
oral questioning.
2. Group test is a type of test administered to a group to individuals or group of
students.
Master Test versus Survey Test
1. Mastery test is a type of achievement test that measures the degree of mastery of a
limited set of learning outcomes using criterion-referenced to interpret the result.
2. Survey test is a type of test that measures students’ general achievement over a
broad range of learning outcomes using non-referenced to interpret the result.
Speed Tests versus Power Test.
1. Speed test is designed to measure number of items an individual can complete over
a certain period of time.
2. Power test is designed to measure the level of performance rather than speed of
response. It contains items that are arranged according to increasing degree of
difficulty.
Chapter Quiz!
I. Read and analyze each item carefully. Choose the correct answer from alternatives A, B, C and D.
Write the letter of your choice on the space provided before the number.

____ 1. Which of the following best differentiates measurement rom assessment?

a. Measurement quantifies the amount of students’ learning.
b. Measurement relies upon the results to evaluate students learning.
c. Measurement is more comprehensive in coverage than assessment.
d. Measurement gives way for the quantification of the products and process of students’ learning.
____ 2. Which of the following is not true about evaluation based on assessment?
a. Evaluation based on assessment involves all domain of learning.
b. Evaluation based on assessment is easier than evaluation based on measurement.
c. Evaluation based on assessment gives students a chance to evaluate themselves.
d. Evaluation based on assessment is more comprehensive than evaluation based on
measurement.
____ 3. Which of the following type of assessment dwells on what the students can actually do in a real-
life situations?
a. Authentic assessment
b. Criterion-referenced assessment.
c. Diagnostic assessment
d. Placement assessment.
____ 4. Which of the following best describes an ipsative assessment?
a. It determines students’ weakness.
b. It allows students to evaluate themselves.
c. It compares students’ performance with preset standards.
d. It compares students’ performance with others’ performances.
____ 5. Which of the following best describes a criterion-referenced assessment?
a. It determines students’ weakness.
b. It allows students to evaluate themselves.
c. It compares students’ performance with preset standards.
d. It compares students’ performance with others’ performances.

II. Each of the following statements refers either

(a) measurement (b) assessment (c) evaluation.

5. Over-all goal is to provide information regarding the extent of attainment of student learning
outcomes.
6. Can help educators determine the success factors of academic programs and projects.
7. Uses such instruments as ruler, scale or thermometer.
8. Used to determine the distance of a location.
9. Process designated to aid educators make judgmentand indicate solutions to aademic
situations.
10. Can determine skill attainment easier than attainment of understanding.
11. Process of gathering evidence of student competencies/skills over a period of time.
12. Results show the more permanent learning and clear picture of student ability.
13. Objects of study maybe instructional programs, school projects, teahcers, students or tests
results.
14. Resulsts show more permanent learning and clear picture of student’s ability.
15. Usually expressed in quantities

III. List down three activities or processes involved in each of the following:
A. Measurement
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________

B. Assessment
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
1.3 Activity/Exercises
3. _________________________________________________
IV. By means of a diagram, show that institutional outcomes are most broad statements compared to
program/degree outcomes, course, subject outcomes and learning/instructional outcomes.