Lesson 1 Assessment in Learning 1
Lesson 1 Assessment in Learning 1
Introduction
Hello there! My first question is that “Why is there a need to clarify the difference
among Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation?” As a teacher you need to be aware
that at present the focus of our education is no longer in the content but rather in the
learning outcomes. It is to determine the progress of students towards attainment of the
learning outcomes. This lesson offers some activities and discussions that help you
distinguish the three abovementioned terms. Good luck.
Learning Outcomes
After the lesson, you are expected to:
Describe Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation
Distinguish among Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation
Provide sample educational activities which measurement, assessment, and
evaluation are evident
Assessment
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Evaluation
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Let’s explore.
The following discusses with you how measurement, assessment, and evaluation are
conducted in the educative processes.
1. Measurement
When we measure, we determine or describe the attributes of physical objects
generally in terms of quantity. If you agree to this, you also agree that when we measure
we quantify data or characteristics of physical objects. Take note, when we measure we
actually collect quantitative information relative to some stablished standards. Thus, we
use some standard instrument to find out the quantitative characteristics or properties of
particular physical objects.
For instance, when you enter the school, our security guards check your body
temperature. Such instrument used of course is the thermometer. But it is necessary that
our security guards possess the skills of correctly using the thermometer to ensure correct
use and reading of your body temperature.
In the field of education, the quantities and qualities of interest are abstract or
cannot be seen and touched. In this case, the measurement process becomes difficult.
What is our solution to this? We need to specify the learning outcomes to be measured.
For instance, how can we measure or determine what your professor intends you to learn.
This may be possible if your professor sets for a particular learning outcomes. In this
lesson, you are expected to distinguish and describe three important terms. To determine
if these learning outcomes will be achieved by you after the lesson, you may be provided
with a test or objective evaluation. In this case, the measurement procedure is testing.
On the other hand, if we would like to measure the knowledge of your professor in the
course he/she is teaching then, your class may rate her/him in a scale of 1-5 with 1 being
the lowest and 5 is the highest. In this procedure, knowledge of the subject matter is
measured through students’ perception.
Measurements can be either objective or subjective. In the example cited which
you will be given a quiz or test (ex. Matching Type) after the lesson employs objective
measurement. In contrast, while you are asked to determine whether your professor is
expert or not in his course taught by rating him/her using scale of 1-5, the measurement
used is subjective because the measurement is based on your perception.
Consider this example, your PE professor instead of giving a 50 item test
equivalent to your final exam, he/she will ask you for a cultural presentation as prescribed
by the course syllabus. Your performance in that activity cannot be quantitatively
measured or cannot be successfully captured by the objective procedure of
measurement. Instead your performance can be captured through a subjective procedure
of measurement.
But most of the time, your professors when collecting data and information about
your performance in the class are opted to use both objective and subjective procedures
especially whenever the constraints of time and resources permit.
In the quantity of interest in the educational measurement always aims to estimate
or approximate, as closely as possible its true value. This implies that measurement of
both quantity and quality always yields with true value with random error.
To contrast, objective measurements do not depend on the person or individual
taking the measurements while subjective ones often differ from one assessor to the next
even if the same quantity or quality is being measured.
We are also confused or sometime misunderstood the difference among
indicators, variables and factors. Variable particularly in education is measurable
characteristics of student/object. For example, the Body Mass Index of your pupil (BMI).
BMI= X ; then your pupil BMI is 15.14 thus X = 15.41. That is how we express variable.
How about “Teacher’s Instructional Management”? How can we express this in variable
in fact it is not directly measurable? This will be the time that will use indicators that
represent the variable “Teachers’ Instructional Management”. What indicators can be
used to make it measurable. Possible indicators for it may be: Indicator 1- teacher’s
teaching strategy, Indicator 2- ICT Skills, and Indicator 3- Subject Matter Knowledge.
Therefore:
Teacher’s Instructional Management (X) = Indicator 1, Indicator 2, Indicator 3
or
X = I1, I2, I3
Let us apply the example cited about perception. For instance, your class will rate
your teacher based on the indicators using a scale of 1-5 which 5 is the highest and 1 is
the lowest. After rating, the following quantitative data are gathered. Indicator1 garners
an average of 4.0, Indicator 2 of 3.5, and Indicator 3 of 4.5. You Add the three then divide
them by three because we have only three indicators.
Therefore: X = 4.0
Another example variable is class participation. We cannot directly measure it thus
we need to determine its indicators. For example, indicators of class participation may be
class recitations. In case the teacher gave 10 recitations to the class and student A only
recited six (6) times, therefore, class participation = 6 times recited divided by 10 times
teacher gave recitations. Quantitatively, this can be expressed as:
X = 6/10 or X = 60%. Take note, you can use any English Alphabet letters to represent
your variables.
Let us proceed to Factors. How do we describe factors? For example, Consider
the following variables:
X1 = Teaching Strategies
X2= IMs Development
X3 = Teaching Procedures
X4= Frustration Level
X=5 Instructional Level
X=6 Independent Level
Above are variables. But we can group them according to factor.
X1, X2, X3 can be grouped as Instructional Factor While;
X4, X5, X6 can be grouped as Pupils Reading Levels Factor
Alright, it is now very clear how measuring indicators, variables, and factors are
different. Therefore, Indicators group together to constitute a variable. Variables group
together to form Factors/Construct. In educational measurement, we shall be concerned
with indicators, variables, and factors of interest in the field of education.
2. Measurement
We assess if we gather evidence of students’ performance over a period of time
to determine learning and performance over a period of time to determine learning and
mastery of skills. Assessment is to help students improve their performance and involves
gather of reliable information regarding students’ progress and extent of attainment of the
expected learning outcomes. to students, teachers, parents, educational managers and
stakeholders. Why are so many involved? Because it takes a village to educate a child.
3. Evaluation
We evaluate when we give information regarding the worth, appropriateness,
goodness, validity or legality of something for which a reliable measurement has been
made. Evaluation helps us teachers make a judgement about a particular situation. It is
always at the middle and at the end of the activity thus we can use evaluation process to
adopt, reject or revise what has been evaluated.
What can be evaluated? These can be instructional programs, teachers’
performance, school projects, principal’s performance, students, and educational goals.
For instance, School Program “Gulayan sa Paaralan, Feeding Program, Reading
Program and few to mention.
This is to share my experience before in DepEd. The Division had a reading
program and it was implemented to all schools both public elementary and public high
schools. The District was tasked to formatively evaluate and monitor the implementation
of the program and to summatively evaluate it at the end of the school year. At the
beginning of the school year, the school was required to submit reading reports which the
data were regarded as baselines. Throughout the school year, there were monitoring
when the evaluation committee monitored and extended assistance to the schools to
ensure that said program was implemented. Monitoring and evaluation tools were used
by the evaluators to gather both quantitative and qualitative information. The information
collected was used to extend assistance to school who had been implementing the
program. At the end of the school year the committee would go back to school to evaluate
the program. One of the bases of change that determines success of the program of
course is the difference between the baseline and the data on reading collected at the
end of the school year.
If you notice on my sharing, there were monitoring evaluations done by the
committee while the program was still on progress. It was called Formative Evaluation.
Its focus was on the process. It gave opportunities to both evaluators and the school to
determine how well the objectives of the program were attained. It also helped them
analyzed the effectiveness of the program.
On the other hand, evaluation at the end of the school year refers to Summative
Evaluation that judged the worth of the program. The focus is no longer on the process
but already in the results.
Summing up, we measure indicators, variables, facts (recitations, class
participations, reading levels); we assess learning outcomes; we evaluate results in terms
of some criteria or objectives.
Let’s do it.
Cite a particular educational activity that we measure, assess and evaluate. Write
your answer in the box. Describe briefly the activity you cited.
We measure
We assess
We evaluate
Closure
Well done! You are done in this lesson. The learning you gain from this lesson
helps you deeply understand our next lesson, Assessment of, for, and as learning. You
are now ready to move to the next lesson. Good luck.