WHAT ARE THE

DIFFERENT
PRINCIPLES IN
ASSESSING
LEARNING?
1. ASSESSMENT SHOULD
HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE

Assessment starts with a clear purpose. The methods used

in collecting information should be based on this purpose.
The interpretation of the data collected should be aligned
with the purpose that has been set. This assessment
principle is congruent with the outcome-based education
(OBE) principles of clarity of focus and design down.
2. ASSESSMENT IS NOT
AN END IN ITSELF
Assessment serves as a means to enhance student
learning. It is not a simple recording or documentation of
what learners know and do not know. Collecting
information about student learning, whether formative or
summative, should lead to decisions that will allow
improvement of the learners
3. ASSESSMENT IS AN
ONGOING, CONTINUOUS, AND
A FORMATIVE PROCESS

. Assessment consists of a series of tasks and activities

conducted over time. It is not a one-shot activity and
should be cumulative. Continuous feedback is an
important element of assessment. This assessment
principle is congruent with the OBE principle of
expanded opportunity.
 ASSESSMENT IS
4.
LEARNER-CENTERED
Assessment is not about what the teacher does but
what the learner can do. Assessment of learners
provides teachers with an understanding on how they
can improve their teaching, which corresponds to the
goal of improving student learning.
5. ASSESSMENT IS
BOTH PROCESS- AND
PRODUCT-ORIENTED
Assessment gives equal importance to learner
performance or product and the process they engage
in to perform or produce a product.
6. ASSESSMENT MUST
BE COMPREHENSIVE
AND HOLISTIC
Assessment should be performed using a variety of
strategies and tools designed to assess student learning in
a holistic way. Assessment should be conducted in
multiple periods to assess learning over time. This
assessment principle is also congruent with the OBE
principle of expanded opportunity.
7. ASSESSMENT REQUIRES
THE USE OF APPROPRIATE
MEASURES
. For assessment to be valid, the assessment tools or measures used
must have sound psychometric properties, including, but not
limited to, validity and reliability. Appropriate measures also mean
that learners must be provided with challenging but age- and
context-appropriate assessment tasks. This assessment principle is
consistent with the OBE principle of high expectations.
8. ASSESSMENT SHOULD BE
AS AUTHENTIC AS
POSSIBLE
Assessment tasks or activities should closely, if not fully,
approximate real-life situations or experiences. Authenticity
of assessment can be thought of as a continuum from least
authentic to most authentic, with more authentic tasks
expected to be more meaningful for learners.