Why assessment is important ?

• Name    : Dodiya Mehul Maheshbhai
• Roll No  : 23
• Enrollment No: 206910840120011
• Class      : M.A. Sem 2
• Paper Name    : Mass Media
• Question      : Why assessment is important ?
• Words  : 1800
• Year      : 2017/19
• Email id : svkmehul97@gmail.com
• Submitted to  : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

What is assessment ?

Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Assessment inspire us to ask these hard questions: "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?" "Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?" "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

'Nothing we do to, or for our students is more important than our assessment of their work and the feedback we give them on it. The results of our assessment influence students for the rest of their lives...'

Today's students need to know not only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to think critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge our students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals change the relationship between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an active role in making decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is being assessed. A test or examination  is an assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics  A test may be administered verbally, on paper, on a computer, or in a predetermined area that requires a test taker to demonstrate or perform a set of skills. Tests vary in style, rigor and requirements. For example, in a closed book test, a test taker is usually required to rely upon memory to respond to specific items whereas in an open book test, a test taker may use one or more supplementary tools such as a reference book or calculator when responding. A test may be administered formally or informally. An example of an informal test would be a reading test administered by a parent to a child. A formal test might be a final examination administered by a teacher in a classroom or an I.Q. test administered by a psychologist in a clinic. Formal testing often results in a grade or a test score.A test score may be interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by statistical analysis of a large number of participants. An exam is meant to test a persons knowledge or willingness to give time to manipulate that subject.

A non-standardized test is usually flexible in scope and format, variable in difficulty and significance. Since these tests are usually developed by individual instructors, the format and difficulty of these tests may not be widely adopted or used by other instructors or institutions. A non-standardized test may be used to determine the proficiency level of students, to motivate students to study, and to provide feedback to students. In some instances, a teacher may develop non-standardized tests that resemble standardized tests in scope, format, and difficulty for the purpose of preparing their students for an upcoming standardized test.[4] Finally, the frequency and setting by which a non-standardized tests are administered are highly variable and are usually constrained by the duration of the class period. A class instructor may for example, administer a test on a weekly basis or just twice a semester. Depending on the policy of the instructor or institution, the duration of each test itself may last for only five minutes to an entire class period.

Which Assessment is best ?

Provides diagnostic feedback

• What is the student's knowledge base?
• What is the student's performance base?
• What are the student's needs?
• What has to be taught?

Helps educators set standards

• What performance demonstrates understanding?
• What performance demonstrates knowledge?
• What performance demonstrates mastery?

Evaluates progress

• How is the student doing?
• What teaching methods or approaches are most effective?
• What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?

Relates to a student's progress

• What has the student learned?
• Can the student talk about the new knowledge?
• Can the student demonstrate and use the new skills in other projects?
• Motivates

Performance For student self-evaluation:

• Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I doing?
• Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do better?
• What else would I like to learn?

For teacher self-evaluation:

• What is working for the students?
• What can I do to help the students more?
• In what direction should we go next? (Edutopia)

Differences between Testing, Assessment, and Evaluation

• When defined within an educational setting, assessment, evaluation, and testing are all used to measure how much of the assigned materials students are mastering, how well student are learning the materials, and how well student are meeting the stated goals and objectives. Although you may believe that assessments only provide instructors with information on which to base a score or grade, assessments also help you to assess your own learning.
• Education professionals make distinctions between assessment, evaluation, and testing. However, for the purposes of this tutorial, all you really need to understand is that these are three different terms for referring to the process of figuring out how much you know about a given topic and that each term has a different meaning. To simplify things, we will use the term "assessment" throughout this tutorial to refer to this process of measuring what you know and have learned.

• A test or quiz is used to examine someone's knowledge of something to determine what he or she knows or has learned. Testing measures the level of skill or knowledge that has been reached. (istudy)

• Evaluation is the process of making judgments based on criteria and evidence.

• Assessment is the process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs, usually in measurable terms. The goal of assessment is to make improvements, as opposed to simply being judged. In an educational context, assessment is the process of describing, collecting, recording, scoring, and interpreting information about learning.

• Why assessment is important?

Hopefully by this point in your life you have discovered that learning can be fun! You have probably also realized that you are constantly learning, whether you are in a classroom, a car, or a kitchen. Assessment helps you build confidence in your ability to learn.

Perhaps you have heard that the global work culture is changing. Unlike your grandfather, you will probably have a number of different jobs and careers during your lifetime. In order to be successful, you will need to have confidence in your ability to learn and you will need to become a lifelong learner. Assessment plays a key role in developing your confidence in your ability to learn, as well as in developing your lifelong learning skills.

'Nothing we do to, or for our students is more important than our assessment of their work and the feedback we give them on it. The results of our assessment influence students for the rest of their lives...'

• Assessment is inescapable

A student undertaking any form of study will be subject to assessment in one form or another. Similarly, any member of teaching staff will be engage at some point in assessment related work. For some of you, assessment takes up a considerable proportion of your workload, and for students it can be a significant determinant of what, when and how they learn. Getting assessment 'right' is therefore essential, both for your students and for you.

Peer and self-assessment, for instance, can foster a number of skills, such as reflection, critical thinking and self-awareness – as well as giving students insight into the assessment process. Discussing the ways in which you're assessing with your students can also help to ensure that the aims and goals of your assessments are clear. Utilising assessment that makes use of technology, such as the use of online discussion forums or electronic submission of work, can teach students (and perhaps your colleagues) new skills. If you design your assessments well they can also help to deter plagiarism by reducing the ways in which students can gather and report information. At the end of the day, taking some time to think about why, what and how you're going to assess your students is a worthwhile investment of time. It can help ensure you're assessing the skills and knowledge that you intended and it could open up new possibilities for different ways to assess your students, some of which may be more efficient and effective than the current methods you're using. Assessment is an internal part of the teaching process and it indicates how far the teaching has influenced the student. Assessing a student is essential as it will measure the extent of grasping made by the student from the teaching classes he has attended. The assessment will help in the grading process, will give some more instruction for those in need, tell the stage of the student while learning, show the efficiency of the current teaching pattern and the syllabus and in acquiring job. Assessment will help the teachers to understand whether they are teaching what they are supposed to or expecting to teach the students. Assessment also helps the students to realize whether they have learnt what they were supposed to or expected to learn. Assessment gives an idea to both teachers and students whether there is any other better way of delivering good subject for the students to learn better. (Why is Assessment important?)

The current day students are expected to carry out proper basic reading as well as to possess arithmetic skills. They are also expected to develop and improve skills in them which help them to apply in the changing world. The students must be able to criticize, analyze and form conclusions. Constant change in the skills and in their knowledge expects a student to work hard incessantly to achieve the new goals. Working continuously for reaching the goal will change the view of the student towards the association of assessment with teaching. So, it is essential for the teacher to constantly make the student to remember about the purpose of assessment and in what area he will be assessed.

• Conclusion

Assessment will enable the teachers to know whether they are teaching the proper and correct subject at right time. It also tells them what has to be deleted from the subject and what not to teach. The teachers will understand through assessment if they are completing the allotted syllabus comfortably and in the satisfactory way. Teachers will come to know their state of accountability to the parents, administrators and politicians by properly assessing the students.

Works Cited

Edutopia. 15 july 2008. 6 april 2019 <https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-importance>.

Engage in Assessment. 6 April 2019 <https://www.reading.ac.uk/engageinassessment/why-is-assessment-important/eia-why-is-assessment-important.aspx>.

istudy. 8 August 2017. 6 April 2019 <http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/testing/testing2.html>.

Why is Assessment important? 17 March 2011. 6 april 2019 <https://www.knowswhy.com/why-is-assessment-important/>.