1. The document defines key terms related to testing, assessment, measurement, and evaluation in education. It discusses the differences between tests and testing, and assessment, measurement, and evaluation.
2. Measurement and evaluation serve several purposes including placement of students, certification, improving teaching, and providing feedback to support learning.
3. There are different types of evaluation including placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative evaluations, which are used for different purposes throughout the learning process.
1. The document defines key terms related to testing, assessment, measurement, and evaluation in education. It discusses the differences between tests and testing, and assessment, measurement, and evaluation.
2. Measurement and evaluation serve several purposes including placement of students, certification, improving teaching, and providing feedback to support learning.
3. There are different types of evaluation including placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative evaluations, which are used for different purposes throughout the learning process.
1. The document defines key terms related to testing, assessment, measurement, and evaluation in education. It discusses the differences between tests and testing, and assessment, measurement, and evaluation.
2. Measurement and evaluation serve several purposes including placement of students, certification, improving teaching, and providing feedback to support learning.
3. There are different types of evaluation including placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative evaluations, which are used for different purposes throughout the learning process.
1. The document defines key terms related to testing, assessment, measurement, and evaluation in education. It discusses the differences between tests and testing, and assessment, measurement, and evaluation.
2. Measurement and evaluation serve several purposes including placement of students, certification, improving teaching, and providing feedback to support learning.
3. There are different types of evaluation including placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative evaluations, which are used for different purposes throughout the learning process.
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3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Meaning of Terms 3.1.
1 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 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. 3.1.2 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. i. ii. 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, EDU 726 MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION 3 of abilities and attitudes of that other person. To some extent or other, it is an attempt to know the person. iii. 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 have to 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. SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1 1. What is the major difference between test and testing? 2. In your own words define Assessment. 3. Give an example of a test. 3.1.3 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. SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2 List the instruments which you can use to measure the following: weight, height, length, achievement in Mathematics, performance of students in Technical drawing, attitude of workers towards delay in the payment of salaries. EDU 726 MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION 4 3.1.4 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. ii. iii. 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. SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 3 Explain the difference between measurement and evaluation, assessment and testing. 3.2 Types of Evaluation The different types of evaluation are: placement, formative, diagnostic and summative evaluations. 3.2.1 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, such as EDU 726 MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION 5 science, Technical, arts, Commercial etc. before this is done an examination 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. 3.2.2 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. 3.2.3 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. SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1 What are the major differences and similarities between formative evaluation and diagnostic evaluation? 3.2.4 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 WAEC, NECO, etc. These were awarded to you after you had gone through some types of examination. This is an example of summative evaluation. EDU 726 MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION 6 3.3 The Purpose of Measurement and Evaluation. The main purposes of measurement and evaluation are: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. 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. vii. For guidance and counseling services. viii. For modification of the curriculum purposes. ix. x. xi. For the purpose of selecting students for employment For modification of teaching methods. For the purposes of promotions to the student. xii. For reporting students progress to their parents. xiii. For the awards of scholarship and merit awards. xiv. For the admission of students into educational institutions. xv. For the maintenance of students. 4.0 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. 5.0 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. EDU 726 MEASUREMENT