EDUCATIONAL
ASSESSMENT,MEASURE
MENTS AND EVALUATION
BY DR.
ALICE WARUINGI
DEFINITIONS AND PURPOSES OF
MEASUREMENT AND EVALUAT
• INTRODUCTION
In this unit, the meaning of assessment, test and testing
measurement and evaluation will be given.
• The purpose of carrying out measurement and evaluation will also be
given since the primary purpose of educationally measuring and
evaluating the learner is to utilize the results for the improvement of
teaching-learning.
Test and testing
• Simply put a test is a measuring tool or instrument in education. More
specifically, a test is considered to be a kind or class of measurement
device typically used to find out something about a person. Most of the
times, when you finish a lesson or lessons in a week, your teacher gives
you a test. This test is an instrument given to you by the teacher in order
to obtain data on which you are judged. It is an educationally common
type of device which an individual completes himself or herself, the
intent is to determine changes or gains resulting from such instruments
as inventory, questionnaire, opinionnaire, scale etc.
TESTING
• Testing on the other hand is the process of administering the test on
the pupils. In other words the process of making you or letting you
take the test in order to obtain a quantitative representation of the
cognitive or non-cognitive traits you possess is called testing. So the
instrument or tool is the test and the process of administering the
test is testing.
Assessment
• Now that you have learnt the difference between test and testing, Let
us move on to the next concept which is assessment. As a teacher,
you will be inevitably involved in assessing learners; therefore you
should have a clear knowledge and the meaning of assessment.
The term assess is derived from a Latin word “asoidere” meaning “to
sit by” in judgment. There are many definitions and explanations of
assessment in education.
Let us look at few of them.
DEFINATIONS
• Freeman and Lewis (1998) to assess is to judge the extent of
students’ learning.
• Rowntree (1977): Assessment in education can be thought of as
occurring whenever one person, in some kind of interaction,
direct or indirect, with another, is conscious of obtaining and
interpreting information about the knowledge and understanding, of
abilities and attitudes of that other person. To some extent or
other, it is an attempt to know the person.
• Erwin, in Brown and Knight, (1994). Assessment is a systematic
basis for making inference about the learning and development of
students... the process of defining, selecting, designing,
collecting, analyzing, interpreting and using information to
increase students’ learning and development.
• You will note from these definitions that
Assessment is a human activity.
Assessment involves interaction, which aims at seeking to
understand what the learners have achieved.
Assessment can be formal or informal.
Assessment may be descriptive rather than judgment in nature.
Its role is to increase students’ learning and development
It helps learners to diagnose their problems and to improve the
quality of their subsequent learning.
Measurement
• This is a broad term that refers to the systematic determination of
outcomes or characteristics by means of some sort of assessment device.
It is a systematic process of obtaining the quantified degree to which a
trait or an attribute is present in an individual or object. In other words it
is a systematic assignment of numerical values or figures to a trait or an
attribute in a person or object. For instance what is the height of Uche?
What is the weight of the meat? What is the length of the classroom? In
education, the numerical value of scholastics ability, aptitude,
achievement etc can be measured and obtained using instruments such
as paper and pencil test. It means that the values of the attribute are
translated into numbers by measurement.
Evaluation
• According to Tuckman (1975) evaluation is a process wherein the
parts, processes, or outcomes of a programme are examined to see
whether they are satisfactory, particularly with reference to the stated
objectives of the programme, our own expectations, or our own
standards of excellence.
According to Cronbach et al (1980) evaluation means the systematic
examination of events occurring in and consequent on a
Contemporary programme. It is an examination conducted to assist in
improving this programme and other programmes having the same
general purpose.
• For Thorpe (1993) evaluation is the collection analysis and
interpretation of information about training as part of a recognized
process of judging its effectiveness, its efficiency and any other
outcomes it may have.
If you study these definitions very well, you will note that evaluation as
an integral part of the instructional process involves three steps. These
are
i. Identifying and defining the intended outcomes.
• Constructing or selecting tests and other evaluation tools relevant
to the specified outcomes, and
• Using the evaluation results to improve learning and teaching.
You will also note that evaluation is a continuous process. It is essential
in all fields of teaching and learning activity where judgment need to be
made.
Types of Evaluation
• The different types of evaluation are: placement, formative, diagnostic
and summative evaluations.
• Placement Evaluation
This is a type of evaluations carried out in order to fix the students in the
appropriate group or class. In some schools for instance, students are
assigned to classes according to their subject combinations, science, Technical,
arts, Commercial etc. before this is done anexamination will be carried out.
This is in form of pretest or aptitude test. It can also be a type of evaluation
made by the teacher to find out the entry behaviour of his students before he
starts teaching. This may help the teacher to adjust his lesson plan. Tests like
readiness tests, ability tests, aptitude tests and achievement tests can be
used.
• Formative Evaluation
This is a type of evaluation designed to help both the student and teacher
to pinpoint areas where the student has failed to learn so that this failure
may be rectified. It provides a feedback to the teacher and the student
and thus estimating teaching success e.g. weekly tests, terminal
examinations etc.
• Diagnostic Evaluation
This type of evaluation is carried out most of the time as a follow up
evaluation to formative evaluation. As a teacher, you have used
formative evaluation to identify some weaknesses in your students. You
have also applied some corrective measures which have not showed
success. What you will now do is to design a type of diagnostic test,
which is applied during instruction to find out the underlying cause of
students persistent learning difficulties. These diagnostic tests can be in
the form of achievement tests, performance test, self rating, interviews
observations, etc.
• Summative evaluation:
This is the type of evaluation carried out at the end of the course of
instruction to determine the extent to which the objectives have been
achieved. It is called a summarizing evaluation because it looks at the
entire course of instruction or programme and can pass judgment on
both the teacher and students, the curriculum and the entire system. It
is used for certification. Think of the educational certificates you have
acquired from examination bodies such as KNEC etc. These were
awarded to you after you had gone through some types of examination.
This is an example of summative evaluation.
The Purpose of Measurement and Evaluation.
The main purposes of measurement and evaluation are:
• Placement of student, which involves bringing students appropriately in
the learning sequence and classification or streaming of students
according to ability or subjects.
• Selecting the students for courses – general, professional,
technical, commercial etc.
• Certification: This helps to certify that a student has achieved a
particular level of performance.
• Stimulating learning: this can be motivation of the student or
teacher, providing feedback, suggesting suitable practice etc.
Improving teaching: by helping to review the effectiveness of
teaching arrangements.
• For research purposes.
The main purposes of measurement and evaluation are:
• For guidance and counseling services.
• For modification of the curriculum purposes.
• For the purpose of selecting students for employment
• For modification of teaching methods.
• For the purposes of promotions to the student.
• For reporting students progress to their parents.
• For the awards of scholarship and merit awards.
• For the admission of students into educational institutions.
• For the maintenance of students
CONCLUSION
•
Now that you have gone through the descriptions of the major terms
used in measurement and evaluation and you can give the purposes of
measurement and evaluation as well as explain the types of evaluation,
you have placed yourself on a good footing for the study of this all
important course which you can not do without as a teacher.
SUMMARY
In general, those practitioners in the educational system are most of the
times interested in ascertaining the outputs of the educational
programme. Output is counted in terms of test results which are
naturally expressed in quantitative indices such as scores or marks. Test,
which is a device, an instrument or a tool consisting of a set of tasks or
questions, is used to obtain the results. Test can be in the form of pen
and paper examination, assignments, practical etc. The process of
administering this test is called testing. But an act of measurement is
done when we award marks to an answer paper or assignment.
SUMMARY
• So measurement gives the individuals ability in numerical indices of
scores i.e. measurement is quantitative. Assessment can be seen as
the engine that drives and shapes learning, rather than simply an end
of term examination that grades and reports performance. Evaluation
is expressed in qualitative indices such as good, excellent pass or fail.
Value judgment is therefore attached to the measurement.
Evaluation can be placement, formative, diagnostic or summative
