On Students' Assessment

 In making a student’s assessment, it is a cycle that must be observed. It has to undergo a careful planning, followed by gathering data and then reporting of results .

A.   PLANNING

STEP 1: Describe the learning context

Considering the subject area, difficulty, constraints, student information, and other characteristics of the course or activity will set the frame of reference for all subsequent planning decisions in a student assessment.

STEP 2: Identify stakeholders and their needs

Explore various goals as instructor, department or university’s objectives, and especially the characteristics and needs of the students in order to clearly determine the assessment purpose and learning objectives of the course or activity.

STEP 3: Create the learning objectives

Identifying clear objectives for the course or activity helps determine how to conduct the assessment. These objectives are statements that describe the knowledge, skills, or behaviors students are expected to learn by the end of a course or activity.

STEP 4: Determine how you will use the results

Determine whether assessments will be used to informally monitor student work, provide feedback, document progress, or to formally evaluate student knowledge. Decide how frequently student assessment will be conducted. Try to identify at least three points: one early in the semester, one midway, and one near the end of the semester. This will help in monitoring student progress and make any adjustments that might be necessary.

STEP 5: Create an assessment plan

The assessment plan is a detailed description of how to implement the assessment and can be displayed in a separate document or within the course syllabus. The plan includes the course learning objectives, assessment points, the assessment method(s) that will be used, and performance criteria for each method. Use the method to help determine the best assessment method(s) for the course or activity.

B. GATHERING OF DATA

Teachers are given liberty to design and implement any type of assessment for the class. Only the teacher knows what is best or better to the class based on the learner’s classroom performance, attitude and behaviour, and level of intelligence. However, the teachers are bound by some ethical issues so that their profession and integrity will never be compromised.

1. Grading System – The teacher needs to ensure that the grades assigned are the best estimate of students’ performance. There are two commonly used grading systems: norm-referenced and criterion-referenced systems.
2. Confidentiality of Educational Records - All student educational records must be kept confidential for each student. Data security when gathering, and confidentiality when reporting, assessment data must be practiced all the time. Their educational records must not be discussed with other students or parents. Discussion with teachers about their grades and other information must be for deliberation purposes only.
3. Data Security – After collection, data containing student information and grades must be in a locked file or room. Secure electronic data by keeping it password protected and limiting access.

Next step is to gather or collect data. The following shows three ways to do this – by assignment, by administration of exams, or by creation of portfolio. Each one has its own objective depending on the desired results.

Lastly, results must be reported but only after data analysis and interpretation and making of conclusions. In this manner, the objectivity of the assessment is intact.