Assessment of Learning 2

Learning Materials-1
Week 2-5

Prepared by:
Gerlie D. Cutab
Objectives:

At the end of the unit, the pre- service teacher can:

a. Discuss the nature and characteristics of authentic assessment and related terms;
b. Differentiate authentic and traditional assessment;
c. Reflect on the importance and applications of authentic assessment; and
d. Make connections between the principles of high-quality assessment and the
development techniques and tools within and across teaching areas.

Introduction

According to Larry Malone of University of California, machines don’t assess, papers don’t assess,
tests don’t assess. Human assess. And what better person is there to assess the progress and
development of his or her students than the classrooms teacher.

Let us start this session with the definition of some of the important terms in this chapter.

Measurement – The assignment of numbers or other symbols to certain characteristics of the object
of interest according to some specified rules in order to reflect some properties or qualities.

Evaluation – The consideration of evidences in the light of the standards and situations with respect
to the goals which the individual or a group is wishing to attain.

Assessment – a related series of measures used to determine a complex attribute of an individual or

group of individuals.

Classroom Assessment- it is an ongoing process of identifying, gathering, organizing and

interpreting quantitative and qualitative information about what learners know and can do.

– Teachers should employ classroom assessment methods that are consistent with
curriculum standards.

– Teachers provide immediate feedback to students about their learning progress.

It also measures the achievement of competencies by the learners.

Classroom Assessment can be:

1. Formative Assessment- used to monitor the instructional process in order to determine

whether learning is taking place as planned.
- Assessment for learning (Teachers make adjustments in their instruction.)
- Assessment as learning (Students reflect on their own progress.)
- Ongoing form of assessment that is closely linked to the learning process. It is
intended to help students identify strengths and weaknesses in order to learn
from the assessment experience (UNESCO-TLSF).
- Given at any time during the teaching and learning process. It is a way to
check the effectiveness of instruction.
- It is important to record formative assessment by documenting and
tracking learners’ progress using systematic ways.
 - Formative assessment results are not included in the computation of
summative assessment.
- Formative assessment enables students to take responsibility for their
own learning.

Inevitably the 21st century is here, demanding a lot of changes, development, and re-
engineering of systems in different fields. In the field pf education, most of the changes have focused
on teaching and learning. Preparing and equipping the teachers to cater to the needs of the 21 st
century learners are part of the adjustments being done in the education system.

Twenty- first century skills must build on the core literacy and numeracy that all students
must master. Students need to think critically and creatively, communicate and collaborate
effectively, and work globally to be productive, accountable citizens and leaders. These skills to be
honed must be assessed, not just simply to get numerical results but more so, to take the results of
assessment as guide to take further action.

Educators need to focus on: what to teach; how to teach it; and how to assess it.

Characteristics of the 21st Century Assessment

1. Responsive
Results from assessment generates data that inform curriculum and instruction.
Teacher can adjust instruction to cater the needs of the students.
Processes for responding to assessments are thoughtfully developed, incorporating
best practices in feedback and formative assessment. Rather than just a single test
grade, peer feedback, and opportunities for revision will be a natural outcome.
2. Flexible
Lesson, curriculum, and assessment require flexibility, suppleness, and adaptability.
Assessment needs to be adaptable to students’ settings.
3. Integrated
Assessments are to be incorporated into day- to day practice rather than as add-ons
at the end of instructions or during a single specified week of the school calendar.
Assessments are enriched by metacognition. Assessment is about stimulating
thinking, building on prior learning, constructing meaning, and thinking about one’s
thinking. It offers opportunities for students to consider their choices, identify
alternative strategies, transfer earlier learning, and represent knowledge through
different names.
4. Informative
 Learning objectives, instructional strategies, assessment methods, and reporting
processes are clearly aligned. Complex learning takes place. Students have
opportunities to build on prior learning in a logical sequence. As students develop
and build skills i.e., learning and innovation skills, information, communication and
technology skills, and life and career skills; the work gets progressively more
rigorous.
5. Multiple Methods
Students demonstrate knowledge and skills through the relevant tasks, projects, and
performances. Authentic and performance- based assessment is emphasized. There
is recognition of and appreciation for the processes and products of learning.
6. Communicated
Communication of assessment data is clear and transparent for all stakeholders.
Results are routinely posted to a database along with standards- based commentary,
both of which must be available and comprehensible at all levels. Students receive
routine feedback on their progress, and parents are kept informed through access to
visible progress reports and assessment data.
The educational community recognizes achievement of students beyond the
standardized test scores. Large- scale measures, including all the results of tradition
and authentic assessments, include and report on 21 st century skills.
7. Technically Sound
Adjustments and accommodations are made in the assessment process to meet the
student needs and fairness. Students demonstrate what they know and how they
can apply that knowledge in ways that are relevant and appropriate for them.
To be valid, the assessments must measure the stated and the 21 st century skills
with legitimacy and integrity.
To be reliable, the assessment must be precise and technically so that users are
consistent in their administration and interpretation of data. They produce accurate
information for decision- making in all relevant circumstances.
8. Systemic
21st century assessment is part of a comprehensive and well- aligned assessment
system that is balanced and inclusive of all students, constituents, and stakeholders
and designed to support improvement at all levels.
 2. Summative Assessment – done at the end of an instructional segment in order to
determine if knowledge is sufficient for the students to move on to the next
instructional segment.
- Considered as assessment of learning, it occurs at the end of a particular
unit.
- It measures whether learners have met the content and performance
standards.
- The results of summative assessments are recorded; they are used to
report on the learners’ achievement.

Why teachers need to assess their students?

–To measure student achievement
–To evaluate instruction
–To motivate learning
–To predict success
–To diagnose the nature of difficulties

What is assessed in the classroom?

• Assessment in the classroom is aimed at helping students perform well in relation to

the learning standards. Learning standards comprise content standards, performance
standards, and learning competencies that are outlined in the curriculum.
How are learners assessed in the classroom?

• Through various processes and measures appropriate to and congruent with learning
competencies defined in the K-12 curriculum

• These processes and measures may be used for both formative and summative
assessment which have different goals

• Learners may be assessed individually or collaboratively

• Individual and collaborative formative assessment

Check-up quizzes Written exercises

Performances Models

Electronic presentations Discussions

Role playing Games

Group activities Performance-based assessments

How are learners assessed in the classroom?

 • Formative assessment in the different parts of the lesson

Purposes
Parts of the Examples of
Lesson Assessment Activities
For the Learner For the Teacher

1. Know what 1. Get information of 1. Agree-Disagree

he knows what the learner Activities
about the already knows 2. Games
lesson 2. Share learning 3. Interviews
2. Understand intentions and 4. Inventories/
the purpose success criteria to Checklists of
of the lesson the learners skills (relevant
and how to 3. Determine to a topic in a
Before the do well in the misconceptions learning area)
Lesson lesson 4. Identify what hinders 5. KWL Activities
3. Identify ideas learning 6. Open-ended
or concepts Questions
he 7. Practice
misunderstan Exercises
ds
4. Identify
barriers to
learning

Parts of the Purposes Examples of

Lesson Assessment Activities
For the Learner For the Teacher

Lesson 1. Identify 1. Provide immediate 1. Multimedia

Proper one’s feedback to learners Presentations
strengths 2. Identify what hinders 2. Observations
and learning 3. Other formative
weaknesses 3. Identify what performance
2. Identify facilitates learning tasks (simple
barriers to 4. Identify learning activities that
learning gaps can be drawn
3. Identify 5. Track learner from a specific
factors progress in topic or lesson)
which help comparison to 4. Quizzes
him learn formative assessment (recorded but
4. Know what results prior to the not part of the
he knows or lesson proper grade)
does not 6. Make decisions on 5. Recitations
know whether to proceed 6. Simulations
5. Monitor his to the next lesson , Activities
own reteach, or provide
progress for corrective
measures or
 reinforcements

Parts of the Purposes Examples of

Lesson Assessment Activities
For the Learner For the Teacher

1. Tell and 1. Assess whether 1. Checklist

recognize learning objectives 2. Discussion
whether he have been met for a 3. Games
met learning specific duration 4. Performance
objectives 2. Remediate and or tasks that
and success enrich with emanate from
After the
criteria appropriate the lesson
Lesson
2. Seek support strategies as needed objectives
through 3. Evaluate whether 5. Practice
remediation, learning intentions exercises
enrichment and success criteria 6. Short quizzes
or other have been met 7. Written work
strategies

• Individual and collaborative summative assessment

– Learners may be assessed individually through unit tests and quarterly

assessment.

– Collaboratively, learners may participate in group activities in which they

cooperate to produce evidence of their learning.

- The process of creating a learning project is given more weight or

importance than the product itself.

 Components of Summative Assessment

1. The Written Work component ensures that students are able to express skills
and concepts in written form. It may include long quizzes, unit or long tests,
essays, written reports and other written output. It helps strengthen students’
test-taking skills. It is strongly recommended that the LT items be distributed
across the Cognitive Process Dimensions so that all are adequately covered.
Through this, learners are able to practice and prepare for quarterly assessment
and other standardized assessments.
2. The Performance Task component allows learners to show what they know
and are able to do in various ways. They may create or innovate products or do
performance-based tasks. Performance-based tasks may include skills
 demonstration, group presentations, oral work, multimedia presentations and
research projects.

Assessment is also classified as:

1. Traditional Assessment- refers to the use of traditional assessment strategies

or tools to provide information on student learning.
- Often used as the basis for evaluating and grading students.
- Are commonly used in classrooms because they are easier to design and
quicker to be scored.

Traditional Assessment springs from the educational philosophy which involves the following
principles and practices:

1. A school’s mission is to develop useful citizens;

2. To be a useful citizen, one must possess a certain body of knowledge and skills;
3. The school is entrusted to teach this body of knowledge and skills;
4. To determine if the students have acquired these knowledge and skills, the school
must test the students on these knowledge and skills.

2. Alternative Assessment- refers to the use of alternative or non- traditional

assessment strategies or tools to collect information on student learning.
Other names for authentic assessment are performance assessment, alternative
assessment, and direct assessment.

Features of Alternative Assessment (Silvestre- Tipay 2009)

1. Assessment is based on authentic tasks that demonstrate learners’ ability to
accomplish communication goals;
2. Instructor and learners focus on communication, not on right and wrong
answers;
3. Learners help to set the criteria for successful completion of communication
tasks; and
4. Learners have opportunities to assess themselves and their peers.

Models of Alternative Assessment:

1. Emergent Assessment- focuses on determining the “effects’” of instruction on

students. It emphasis is on the assessment of both the intended and
unintended effects of learning outcomes.
2. Development Assessment- focuses on determining the extent that students
have developed their competencies from instruction. This model adopts a
pre-test and post-test methodology to collect information if a student has
developed or improved after instruction. Development assessment is said to
be useful for assessing learning outcomes based on students’ development
rather than a final product.
3. Authentic Assessment- is the most popular model for alternative assessment.
It is an approach in the assessment of student learning that refers to the use
of assessment strategies or tools that allows learners to perform or create a
product that is meaningful to the learners as they are based on real- world
contexts.

Criteria whether or not an assessment task or activity is authentic:

1. Be built around topics or issues of interest to the students;
2. Replicate real- world communication contexts and situations;
3. Involve multistage tasks and real problems that require creative use of
language rather than simple repetition;
4. Require learners to produce a quality product or performance;
5. Introduce the students to the evaluation criteria and standards;
6. Involve interaction between assessor (instructor, peers, self) and person
assesses; and
7. Allow for self-evaluation and self- correction as they proceed.

Principles in assessing learning using alternative methods:

1. Assessment is both process- and product- oriented

2. Assessment should focus on higher- order cognitive outcomes
3. Assessment can include a measure of non-cognitive learning outcomes
4. Assessment should reflect real- life or real- world contexts
5. Assessment must be comprehensive and holistic
6. Assessment should lead to student learning

Characteristics of Authentic Assessment:

1. Starts with clear and definite criteria of performance made known to the
students.
2. It is criterion- referenced rather than norm- referenced and so it identifies
strengths and weaknesses, but does not compare students nor rank their
levels of performance.
3. It requires students to make their own answers to questions rather than
select from given options as in multiple choice items, and requires them
to use a range of higher order thinking skills (HOTS).
4. It is often emphasizes performance and therefore students are required
to demonstrate their knowledge, skills or competencies in appropriate
situations. It does not rely on ability to recall facts and memorize details,
instead students are asked to demonstrate skills and concepts they have
learned.
5. It encourages both teacher and students to determine their rate of
progress in cooperatively attaining the desired student learning outcomes.
6. It does not discourage rote learning and passive taking tests; instead,
students are required to demonstrate analytical skills; ability to integrate
what they learn, creativity, and ability to work in a group, skills in oral
and written communications. Thus, it does not value only on finished
products which are the learning outcomes, but also the process of
learning.
7. It changes the role of students as passive test takers into becoming active
involved participants in assessment activities that emphasize what they
are capable of doing instead tests to measure students’ skills or retained
facts has come under scrutiny because of the limitation encountered in
 determining the students’ capability to utilize their knowledge and skills in
work and professional practice.

Phases of Authentic Assessment:

1. Identifying the most important knowledge and skills that students should be able
to demonstrate as a result of their learning activities.
2. Determining the criteria and standards of outcome performance and the
acceptable evidence that may be presented as proof of outcomes’ attainment.
3. Implementation of the supporting activities that will facilitate the attainment of
the desired student learning outcomes.
4. Measuring the extent at which the students are attaining the desired learning
outcomes.
5. Interpreting the assessment results and evaluating whether they indicate
attainment of the desired outcomes and utilizing them for continuous
improvement.

Identify learner Determine criteria and

outcome acceptable evidences of
performance

Evaluate results to determine

Implement supporting
attainment of outcome and
learning experiences and
ensure continuous
instructional activities
improvement

Implement assessment
strategies
Fig. Phases of Authentic Assessment

Examples of Authentic Assessment activities

1. Doing science experiments

2. Conducting social science field research
3. Writing stories and reports
4. Reading and interpreting literary pieces
5. Solving mathematical problems that have real- world application
6. Performing particular skills/ competencies
7. Simulation or role playing
8. Exhibiting and displaying completed works
9. Submitting portfolios
10. Submitting original creative projects

Basic differences between Traditional Assessment and Authentic Assessment

Attributes Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

1. Actions/ Options Selecting responses Performing a task

2. Setting Contrived/ imagined Simulation/ real-life

3. Method Recall/ recognition Construction/ application

4. Focus Teacher- structured Student- structured

5. Outcome Indirect evidence Direct evidence

Types of Educational Decision

1. Instructional
2. Grading
3. Diagnostic
4. Selection
5. Placement
6. Guidance and Counseling
7. Program or Curriculum
8. Administrative Policy

Outcome- Based Assessment

1. Student Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes is the totality of accumulated knowledge, skills, and
attitudes that students develop during a course of study.

2. Sources of Student Expected Learning Outcomes

There are several factors that need to be considered in defining the outcomes, to
ensure that these are aligned with the set directions of the program and evaluation
 setting in general. Following are the factors that need to be considered in crafting
the student expected learning outcomes.
a. Mission statement of the school
b. Mandated policies on competencies and standards issued by government
education agencies.
c. Competencies expected by different professions, business and industry.
d. Development plan and goals as well as the current thrusts of both national
and local governments.
e. Current global trends and developments so that graduates can compete
globally.
f. General 21st century skills focusing on the following:
1. Oral and Written Communication
2. Quantitative reasoning ability together with scientific methodology
3. Analyzing, synthesizing and developing creative solutions
4. Use of Technology
5. Information Literacy

Characteristics of Good Learning Outcome

1. Very specific, and use verbs

2. Focused on the Learner
3. Are Realistic
4. Focus on the application and integration of acquired knowledge and skills
5. Good learning outcomes prepare students for assessment and help them feel
engaged in and empowered by the assessment and help them feel engaged in and
empowered by the assessment and evaluation process.
6. Offer a timeline for completion of the desired learning

In summary, teachers do not have to choose between authentic assessment and traditional
assessment. Mastery of knowledge and skills which is the focus of traditional assessment must be
encouraged among the students to form the foundation on which will be built the activities that will
require students to demonstrate and perform the tasks that they are expected to perform in the real
world.

For additional readings, kindly click the links below:

criteria-higher-quality-assessment_2.pdf

Defining Authentic Classroom Assessment.pdf

Part-1-auth-assesment-BL.pdf

kirschner_04_five_dimensional_framework for Authentic Assessment.pdf

References:

Balagtas, M.U., David, A.P., Golla, E.F., Magno, C.P., Valladolid, V.C. (2020). Assessment of learning
2.First Edition. Rex Printing Company, Inc. Manila.
Navarro, R.L., Santos,R.S. (2013). Authentic assessment of student learning outcomes. Lorimar
Publishing, Inc. Manila.

Franker, Karen. Rubric.2018.www2.owstout.edu./content/profdev/rubrics/inspirationrubric/html.