Types of Assessment Applicable in CBA at the Early Years Education (EYE)

classroom assessment may be defined as:  the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and
communicating information about a child‟s progress and achievement during the development of knowledge,
concepts, skills and attitudes. (NCCA, 2004)

1 Formative Assessment assessment is a continuous and an ongoing assessment that allows teachers to monitor
learners on a dayto-day basis and modify their teaching based on what the students need to be successful.  OR,

Formative is a type of assessment in which a range of formal and informal assessment procedures are employed
by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student
attainment.

Key points use for formative assessment: 

- Range of formal and informal assessment 
- During the learning process 
- To modify teaching and learning 
- To improve

Two types of formative assessment

a) Assessment for learning
b) Assessment as learning

Assessment for learning involves teachers using evidence about students' knowledge, understanding and skills
to inform their teaching. 
It usually occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.

Benefits of assessment for learning

 Reflects a view of learning in which assessment helps students learn better, rather than just achieve a
better mark 
 Involves formal and informal assessment activities as part of learning and to inform the planning of
future learning 
 Includes clear goals for the learning activity 
 Provides effective feedback that motivates the learner and can lead to improvement
 Reflects a belief that all students can improve 
 Encourages self-assessment and peer assessment as part of the regular classroom routines 
 Involves teachers, students and parents reflecting on evidence 
 Is inclusive of all learners.

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Challenges of assessment for learning
1. Time-consuming and requires resources: 
2. Planning and exercising can be a tiring process for the teacher 
3. Formative assessment requires well qualified and competently trained teachers are
required.

Assessment as learning
Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their
own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can
do, and how to use assessment information for new learning.
Assessment as learning also;
 Provides ways for students to use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment
to help them understand the next steps in learning
 Encourages peer assessment, self-assessment and reflection
Benefits of assessment as learning
 Encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning 
 Requires students to ask questions about their learning 
 Involves teachers and students creating learning goals to encourage growth and
development

Summative assessment
(Assessment of learning)
Summative assessment refers to the assessment of participants, and summarizes their
development at the particular time. In contrast to formative assessment, the focus is on the
outcome of the program.
Key points use for summative assessment: 
- Assessment of participants 
- Development at a particular time 
- The outcome of a program
-Assessment of learning assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess
achievement against outcomes and standards. Sometimes referred to as summative
assessment', it usually occurs at defined key points during a teaching work or at the end of a
unit, term or year, and may be used to rank or grade students.

Benefits of assessment of learning

 Is used to plan future learning goals and pathways for students 

 Provides evidence of achievement to the wider community, including parents, educators, the
students themselves and outside groups 

 Provides a transparent interpretation across all audiences.

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  Gauge student understanding. 

 Used in academic records. 

 Help identify weak areas in students. 

 Accelerate individuals who already mastered the material. 

 Help assess how well you teach (how you present, type of instruction, etc.)

Limitations of summative assessment (Assessment of Learning)

 Can demote individuals (students who don’t perform well.

 Can be disruptive for the class 

 Not always the perfect gauge of student understanding

 Students could underperform due to a poorly made assessment.

 In most schools, there isn’t time to address students’ weaknesses found by assessments.

Factors that influence the choice of the types of assessment to use in the learning
process.
 Grade level

 Learning area

 The size of the class

 Competency and number of available teachers

 Availability of resources

 The purpose of assessment

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In Early Years Education, assessment is majorly formative and should be carried out
continuously during the learning process.
Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and
diverse sources in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know,
understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences.
(Huba and Freed, 2000)

Assessment provides regular feedback and allows teachers and learners to reflect on
progress and adjust learning accordingly.

There are three main types of formative assessments that may be used to evaluate learner
achievement namely;
● assessment for learning;
● assessment as learning; and
● assessment of learning.

Assessment for Learning

Assessment for learning is a continuous process of collecting information on learners’
ability to demonstrate the required competencies. It is used by both the learner and the
teacher to improve on the learning approaches.

Assessment as Learning
Assessment as Learning involves continuous self-assessment by the learner aimed at
monitoring their own learning. Assessment as learning allows learners to:
● set individual goals;
● monitor own progress or self-assess;
● reflect on his/her learning;
● identify learning gaps; and
● make adjustments in order to achieve deeper understanding.
The learner is provided with a clear roadmap to reach proficiency and to set criteria that
has a variety of examples or models of good work for comparison.
Assessment as learning fosters self and peer assessment among learners and promotes
self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses in learning.

Here learners are given tasks which they perform successively. For instance, if a learner
is able to count from 1 to10, he is then given a more complex task, for instance,
counting from 1 to 20.

Assessment of Learning
This is done to determine what a learner knows and can do with respect to curriculum
learning outcomes at the end of a defined task, strand or sub-strand, instructional period
or tier. It is designed to provide evidence of achievement to learners, teachers, parents
and other stakeholders like school administrators, employers etc.

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Assessment of learning includes:
● the use of feedback from teachers, parents and learners after observing learner
performance in tasks;
● Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs), homework and class assignments;
● end of term, end of year and end of course assessments.

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