Introduction
A review of existing materials on the principles, elements, and practices of learning and teaching leads us to conclude that assessment plays a crucial role in education. First of all, it allows teachers to make informed decisions in the classroom based on students’ needs, weaknesses, and strengths. At the same time, through assessment, learners receive feedback on their academic progress and the areas that require improvement. In general, there are multiple types of assessment forms applied according to the type of assignment; however, a considerable number of teachers admit that assessment should not be regarded as a purely formal procedure. Instead, continuous assessment should be embedded in the teaching process to provide meaningful, multidimensional insight into each student’s progress.
Educational Assessments
Summative
Today, several major assessment types are used in the classroom, including summative, formative, and diagnostic assessments. Summative assessment is the evaluation of the student’s academic progress at the end of a learning cycle. In particular, the student’s performance is evaluated against an articulated set of standards that define the grading scale. It allows measuring learners’ achievement of educational goals and provides teachers with feedback on the efficiency of their teaching strategies as well.
Moreover, when converted to student-level proficiency, summative assessment informs the ranking of educational facilities. The methods of summative assessment include term and final testing, examination, the creation of projects and portfolios, and writing essays and research papers. At the same time, in relation to different summative assessment strategies, it is essential to consider their objectivity when results cannot be measured using a unified system that presupposes a single correct answer. Therefore, rubrics are introduced that consider multiple factors based on evaluation criteria and the degree to which they are met.
Formative
Another major type of assessment in education is formative assessment, which presupposes a teacher-planned process that allows for adjusting existing teaching practices and instructional procedures based on the student’s current progress. In other words, formative assessment accompanies learners’ activities to meet their needs, improve understanding, strengthen self-esteem, and contribute to the achievement of academic goals. The strategies of formative assessment include asking questions and creating small quizzes, polls, tests, and one-minute papers to ensure students’ involvement in the learning process and understanding of the material.
Diagnostic
The third major type of classroom assessment is a diagnostic assessment, which evaluates psychological processes. In other words, it helps determine the presence of mental health and emotional issues among students, define their scope, and identify the most appropriate course of treatment. The most common strategies of diagnostic assessment are neuropsychological tests, self-report inventories, and interviews. The significance of this assessment type’s application lies in the fact that all learners have individual, and sometimes special, needs that should be considered when creating and planning learning and teaching practices. Moreover, the student’s academic achievements may be highly impacted by existing, though hidden, mental health disorders that should be assessed for their appropriate management.
Conclusion
To conclude, the review of video materials has allowed us to learn about the types of assessment and their significance in education. All in all, assessment may be regarded as a continuous process embedded in the curriculum, as its strategies allow measurement of the student’s performance in the classroom and at the end of a unit, and how it may be affected by emotional disorders. As a result, a competent teacher should be aware of all these types and their purposes to apply them reasonably to improve teaching practices and learning outcomes.
References
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