MODULE 10 MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

Whereas the preceding chapters focused on the why, what, and how components of teaching, this
chapter focuses on the final component-the how well component. Together, these four components
comprise the essential elements of competent instruction.

Teaching and learning act hand-in-hand; they are reciprocal processes, where one depends on and
affects the other. Consequently, the how well component deals with the assessment of both - how well
the students are learning and how well the teacher is teaching.

Measurement, assessment, and evaluation

Measurement as used in education is the quantification of what students have learned through
the use of tests, questionnaires, rating scales, check- lists, and other devices. A teacher, for
example, who gave his class a 10-item quiz after a lesson on the agreement of subject and verb,
is undertaking measurement of what was learned by the students on that particular lesson.

Assessment, however, refers to the full range of information gathered and synthesized by
teachers about their students and their classrooms (Arends, 1994). This information can be
gathered in informal ways, such as through observation or verbal exchange. It can also be
gathered through formal ways, such as assignments, tests, and written reports or outputs.

While measurement refers to the quantification of students' performance and assessment as

the gathering and synthesizing of information, evaluation is a process of making judgments,
assigning value or deciding on the worth of students' performance. Thus, when a teacher assigns
a grade to the score a student obtained in a chapter quiz or term examination, he is performing
an evaluative act. This is because he places value on the information gathered on the test.

Evaluation is different from both measurement and assessment. Measurement answers the
question, how much does a student learn or know? Assessment looks into how much change has
occurred on the student's acquisition of a skill, knowledge or value before and after a given
learning experience. Since evaluation is concerned with making judgments on the worth or value
of a performance, it answers the question, how good, adequate or desirable is it? Measurement
and assessment are, therefore, both essential to evaluation.

Examples of Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation

Measurement Assessment Evaluation

Adam needs to focus

more on X and Y parts
Adam got 25 out of 50 Adam’s grade is fair of the educational
objective and the
teacher needs to work
more on or develop the
Z part of the teaching
objective
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Purposes of educational measurement, assessment and evaluation

Educational measurement, assessment, and evaluation serve the following purposes (Kellough, et al,
1993):
 Improvement of student learning - Knowing how well students are performing in class can
lead teachers to devise ways and means of improving student learning.
 Identification of students’ strengths and weaknesses - Through measurement, assessment,
and evaluation, teachers can be able to single out their students’ strengths and weaknesses.
Data on these strengths and weaknesses can serve as bases for undertaking reinforcement
and/or enrichment activities for the students.
 Assessment of the effectiveness of a particular teaching strategy - Accomplishment of an
instructional objective through the use of a particular teaching strategy is important to
teachers. Competent teachers continuously evaluate their choice of strategies on the basis
of student achievement
 Appraisal of the effectiveness of the curriculum - Through educational measurement,
assessment, and evaluation, various aspects of the curriculum are continuously evaluated
by curriculum committees on the basis of the results of achievement test results.
 Assessment and improvement of teaching effectiveness - Result of testing are used as basis
for determining teaching effectiveness. Knowledge of the results of testing can provide
school administrators inputs on the instructional competence of teachers under their
charge. Thus, intervention programs to improve teaching effectiveness can be undertaken
by the principals or even supervisors on account of the results of educational measurement
and evaluation.
 Communication with and involvement of parents in their children's learning - Results of
educational measurement, assessment, and evaluation are utilized by the school teachers
in communicating to parents their children's learning difficulties. Knowing how well their
children are performing academically can lead then to forge partnership with the school in
improving and enhancing student learning.

Types of Evaluation
Teachers need continuous feedback in order to plan, monitor, and evaluate their instruction.
Obtaining this feedback may take any of the following types: diagnostic, formative, and summative.

Diagnostic evaluation
Diagnostic evaluation is normally undertaken before instruction in order to assess students' prior
knowledge of a particular topic or lesson. Its purpose is to anticipate potential learning problems
and group/place students in the proper course or unit of study.

Diagnostic evaluation can also be called pre-assessment, since it is designed to check the ability
levels of students in some areas so that instructional starting points can be established. Through
this type of evaluation, teachers can be provided with valuable information concerning students'
knowledge, attitudes and skills when they begin studying a subject and can be employed as basis
for remedial or special instruction. Diagnostic evaluation can be based on teacher-made tests,
standardized tests or observational techniques.
MODULE 10 MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

Formative assessment
Formative assessment is carried out throughout a course or project to aid learning. Only because
learners made it to the end of a unit test, does not mean they have mastered the skills, so
formative assessment is not about assigning grades to learners.

Formative assessments helps teachers understand a learner’s learning while they teach and
adjust their teaching strategies accordingly. It helps teachers to track how knowledge is growing
and changing in learners in real-time. Some examples of formative assessment include:
 student portfolios;
 class discussions;
 regular quizzes

Summative assessment
Summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of the course or project, semester or
unit. It is evaluative and primarily used to assign learners a course grade. Typically summative
assessment occurs at the end of an educational activity and is designed to judge the learner’s
overall performance.

Summative assessment can also be engaging for learners and useful for your teaching. Try
creating assessments that differ from the standard tests, like recording a podcast, writing a script
or short play or develop an independent study project. No matter what type of summative
assessment you give your students, keep some best practices in mind:
 keep it real-world and relevant;
 make questions clear and instructions easy to follow;
 give a rubric so learners know what is expected of them.

The test and its uses

A test refers to a tool, technique, or method that is intended to measure students’ knowledge or their
ability to complete a particular task. In this sense, testing can be considered as a form of assessment.
Tests should meet some basic requirements, such as validity and reliability.
 Validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
 Reliability refers to the consistency of test scores when administered on different occasions.

Numerous types of tests are used in school. There are different ways of categorizing tests, namely:
ease of quantification of response, mode of preparation, mode of administration, test constructor,
mode of interpreting results, and nature of response (Manarang & Manarang, 1983; Louiscll &
Descamps, (1992).

As to mode of response, tests can be oral, written, or performance.

1. Oral test - It is a test wherein the test taker gives his answer orally,
2. Written test - It is a test where answers to questions are written by the test taker.
3. Performance test – It is one in which the test taker creates an answer or a product that
demonstrates his knowledge or skill, as in cooking and baking.
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As to ease of quantification of response, tests can either be objective or subjective.

1. Objective test - It is a paper and pencil test wherein students' answers can be compared and
quantified to yield a numerical score. This is because it requires convergent or specific
response.
2. Subjective test - It is a paper and pencil test which is not easily quantified as students are
given the freedom to write their answer to a question, such as an essay test. Thus, answer
to this type of test are divergent.

As to test constructor, tests can be classified into standardized and unstandardized.

1. Standardized test - It is a test prepared by an expert or specialist. This type of test samples
behavior under uniform procedures. Questions are administered to students with the same
directions and time limits. Results in this kind of test are scored following a detailed
procedure based on its manual and interpreted based on specified norms or standards.
2. Unstandardized test - It is one prepared by teachers for use in the classroom, with no
established norms for scoring and interpretation of results. It is constructed by a classroom
teacher to meet a particular need.

As to the nature of the answers, tests can be categorized into the following types personality,
intelligence, aptitude, achievement, summative, diagnostic, formative, socio-metric, and trade.
1. Personality test - It is a test designed for assessing some aspects of an individual's
personality. Some areas tested in this kind of test include the following: emotional and social
adjustment, dominance and submission, value orientation, disposition, emotional stability
frustration level, and degree of introversion or extroversion.
2. Intelligence test - It is a test that measures the mental ability of an individual.
3. Aptitude test - It is a test designed for the purpose of predicting the likelihood of an
individual's success in a learning area or field of endeavor.
4. Achievement test - It is a test given to students to determine what a student has learned
from formal instruction in school.
5. Proficiency test – It test how proficient or skilled someone is in a particular activity, field of
study, language, etc.

Advantages and disadvantages of different types of test items

Test Type Advantages Disadvantages
Multiple‐ 1. Large number of items can be given 1. Often only used to test “facts” – teachers
Choice Items in a short time period. not aware they are suited to higher
2. Broad domain can be covered. thinking.
3. Higher and lower level expectations 2. Takes substantial time to construct.
can be assessed – if constructed 3. Not useful when “show your work” is
well. required.
4. Scoring is usually quick and 4. Often hard to find suitable options.
objective. 5. Reading ability can influence student
5. Less influenced by guessing. performance.
6. May provide diagnostic information 6. Generally does not provide feedback to
by analyzing patters of incorrect correct errors in understanding.
responses.
True‐False 1. A large number of items can be given 1. Difficult to construct statements that are
Items in a short time (e.g., 3‐4 per minute) defensibly true or absolutely false.
2. Scoring is usually quick and 2. Strong element of guessing.
objective. 3. Need a large number for high reliability.
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Test Type Advantages Disadvantages

Matching 1. An efficient way to assess the 1. Difficulty to generate a sufficient number of
Items association between a variety of plausible premises.
items within a given topic. 2. May limit assessment to lower levels of
2. Easy to construct. understanding.
3. Scoring is usually quick and 3. Homogeneous topics are required.
objective. 4. May overestimate learning due to influence
4. Easily administered to a large of testing.
number of students.
Short‐ 1. Guessing is reduced; student must 1. Accuracy of assessment may be influenced
Answer/Fill‐ construct an answer. by handwriting/spelling skills.
2. Requires increased cognitive ability 2. Scoring can be time consuming and
in‐the‐Blanks to generate answers. expensive due to subjectivity.
Items 3. Effective for assessing who, what, 3. May overestimate learning due to bluffing.
where, and when information. 4. Not useful for complex or extended
4. Relatively easy to construct. outcomes.
5. Broad range of knowledge can be 5. Often criticized for encouraging rote
assessed including creativity and memorization.
spontaneity.
Essay Items 1. Encourages the organization of 1. Subjective scoring is less reliable, more time
knowledge, integration of theories consuming and subject to bias.
and expression of opinions. 2. Grading may be influenced by handwriting,
2. Promotes original, novel thinking. length of response and writing skills.
3. Advantageous for assessing complex 3. Provides a deep but small sample of
learning outcomes such as students’ performance.
application, synthesis and evaluation 4. Bluffing and the quality of writing can
levels. influence scores.
4. Takes less time to construct than
other test item types.
5. Stimulates increased studying as
students cannot answer via simple
recognition.