Lesson 9: ASSESSMENT

Objectives: To develop quality test items in mathematics, Analyze different modes of assessing
mathematics with respect to assembling instructional and student performance evidence, make a
critic of existing modes of assessment

Assessment may be defined as any method used to better understand the current knowledge that
a student possess.

It is a formal or informal attempt to determine student’s status with respect to educational

variable interests.

This implies that assessment can be as simple as a teacher’s subjective judgment based on a
single observation of a student’s performance, or as complex as a 3 hour standardized test.

The idea of the current knowledge implies that what a student knows is always changing

And that we can make judgments about students’ achievements through comparisons over a
period of time.

Assessment often defines what students must know and be able to succeed in a particular
teacher’s class.

Assessment may affect decisions about grades, advancement, placement, instructional needs and
curriculum.

Assessment should be seen as an integral part of mathematics instruction coz it contributes

significantly to all students’ math learning and guides teachers to make instructional details.

Assessment is more than just a text at the end of instructional to see how students perform under
special conditions. Therefore assessment should not merely be done to students rather it should
be done for students.

Assessment For learning…..diagnostic/ formative…….

Assessment of learning …summative

Assessment as learning…self-assessment

Purpose / importance of assessment

Uses of national examination/assessment include:

Ranking of candidates, selection of candidates to the next level in the education continuum,
certification for use in the job market. Diagnosing weakness in the curriculum and the teaching
and learning process in the classroom or school level,.

 One of the main purposes of testing / assessing is to diagnose the learners’ needs so as to
plan his learning better.

 To establish how learners have understood various concepts and therefore plan remedial
work accordingly.

 To help evaluate the teachers own teaching approaches and instructional pace.

 To give feedback that can motivate both the learners and the teachers.

 To compare performance.

 To predict future performance e.g. mock exams and National examinations.

 Carry out curriculum evaluation and refinement.

In general, assessment has the function of providing valid evidence of learning achievement in
order to: Inform the students, to provide provision for further learning and to certify that a
required level has been obtained.

Teachers are able to improve the educational process if they have identified the strengths of their
students and know which area of study require attention. Information provided from assessment
should portray the learner’s level of performance.

Factors that influence/determine assessment of students in Mathematics learning.

View mathematics as: Problem solving, Mathematics as communication, as reasoning and as

mathematical connections.

Students experiences of how they are taught. How mathematics is taught and how students
experience it shape their understanding and beliefs of what mathematics is all about.

Relationship between the intended curriculum (reflected in the curriculum guide/textbooks/ or

teachers’ manual), implemented curriculum is what the teacher actually teaches in a class. The
achieved curriculum – (what the student actually learned). The achieved curriculum is what is
assessed.

Assessment is viewed as an integral part of instruction. It is seen as gathering information on

what is known. What they can do and What their dispositions are. Assessment in mathematics
must consist of: Content domain – Number questions, algebra, measurement and data. Cognitive
domain – involves knowing facts and procedures, using basic concepts, solving routine problems
and reasoning.

Students consider assessment to be of low level skills. Hindrances to effective assessment

When impulse is knowledge of content and low level skills are used performing routine
procedures and their few opportunities for conceptual understanding, problem solving,
reasoning, determining using mathematical relationships and communicating mathematical ideas.

K…knowledge

C-comprehension

A-application……………:LOTS

A-analysis

S-synthesis

E-evaluation …..HOTS

Draw a table of specification

When emphasis is on getting the correct answer rather than on the quality of thinking that goes
into obtaining the answer.

When time is insufficient for students to demonstrate how well they think.

When the use of concrete materials or calculating devices even when they may be needed is not
allowed.

Principles of effective assessment

Standards/characteristics of a good assessment

(i) It should reflect the Mathematics that the students should know and be able to do.
(ii) Enhance Mathematical learning
(iii) Promote equality.
(iv) Be an open process – clear, words should be clear to the students.
(v) It should promote valid inference - a good test should be valid – it should measure what it
was intended for – was the question intended to measure application.
(vi) Assessment should be a coherent/ consistent process. It should be a reliable test – same
results from different groups of the same level are the same.

Qualities of a good test:

Valid: both in content and face: is all that is tested in the syllabus, face validity
Reliability: the test should be reliable in producing similar results when subjected to a sample of
some candidates of the same level ie, if the same students sit for the same paper after a period of
time, can it produce the similar result?

Efficient/discriminative: in spreading out of the candidates according to their abilities. There

must be disparity in the scores ie scores should differentiate abilities in terms of high and low
achievers.

Objective: the test should be objective should fair scoring should be determined by the
candidates responses and not whims of the examiner.

Non-ambiguous: all instructions must be clear including the rubric

Adequate time allocated.

Forms of assessment

Diagnostic assessment: – given before a teaching process. It provides the learner’s difficulties,
misconceptions and errors. They form the basis of making informed decisions on the appropriate
instructions and strategies. They help to determine the entry point/ behavior of the learners. Too
often, teachers before establishing the root cause of an error, misconception re-teach the learner
with the same/similar activities in belief that more of the same will bring about the pre-requisite
knowledge and understanding

Formative assessment: This is assessment given during the process and is carried out
continuously during the course of instruction at class level. The focus is to inform the teacher
whether the methods in use are having desired effect.

Types of formative assessment:

The teacher continuously assesses the learners through questioning. How they respond shows the
teacher what direction the lesson should take. The teacher is also able to correct misconceptions

In formative assessment, supervised practice in class may be given whereby learners work
individually and the teacher marks the books in class to assess whether the concept taught is
understood. The teacher should analyze the errors made by the students so as to correct
misconceptions.

Assignment is also carried out or assignment given on problem solving. This assessment helps
the teacher again to know whether the learners have understood the concept. The learners too are
encouraged when they get the feedback on their understanding of the concepts.

Mathematics is learnt by doing and not watching others doing it. The learners are encouraged or
motivated to work out actively when teachers mark their work.
Formative assessment is also done when students are given practical such as modelling and the
models awarded marks – this could be done in groups in order to promote collaborative learning.

Learners could also be given an investigative problem and allowed to report in class and their
presentation commented on, e.g. projects of data collection by the road on cars passing at a given
point at a certain period of the day. Statistics on the data could be presented in class.

Continuous assessment either weekly, fortnight, end month or mid-term, end of term tests, end of
year tests and mock examinations are formative assessment.

TEST CONSTRUCTION

In setting a test of any kind there is need to know what one is testing. The syllabus, scheme of
work, and some past papers may be used. There is also need to find out from other teachers for
coverage. When constructing a test, avoid the following questions:

Questions that discriminate/distinguish between children whose abilities are different.

Questions that are frequently misunderstood by students.

Questions that have more than one answer.

Questions that give an advantage to certain students on the basis of factors other than those being
tested.

By avoiding/eliminating such questions, only questions that reliably identify the particular skills
being tested are left. It is therefore important to think of the skills to be tested before test
construction. To ensure that the test is balanced and valid a table of specifications is needed. For
a teacher to come up with a good test, he should prepare an item specification table (blue print).
This table is a 2-D grid showing abilities versus content as in blooms taxonomy. Abilities are the
same as objectives:

TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS

This is also referred to as test Blue Print or test plan or test specification or test grid.

Topic Skills expected to be tested

K C A A S E Total

Fractions Q1=3mks 6/200X 100= 3mks

Algebraic Q2= 6/200X100= 3mks

expressions 3mks
 Divisibility Q6= Q9=3 12/200X100=6mks
tests 3mks mks

GCD/LCM Q3= Q10= 12/200X100=6mks

3mks 3mks

Area Q4= 18/200X100= 9mks

3mks

Decimal

Integers Q5= 
3mks

Equation of Q11=
a line 3mks

Scale Q11=
drawing 10mk
s

Geometrical Q12=
constructions 10mk
s

15% 15 % 30 % 25 % 10 % 5% 100

At least 75% of the syllabus/content should be tested and the skills must be tested.

Abilities / Knowledge Comprehension App Analysis Synthesis evaluation

objectives

Angles 2 2 1 1 1 7

Statistics 2 1 2 1 7

Geometry 1 2 1 1 1 6

Total % 5 5 4 3 2 20

The columns represent;

These are cognitive skills 1, 2, 3
 1. Knowledge-recall of formulae/definition of concepts
2. Comprehension understanding of what students have been taught
3. Application-application of concepts to real life
4. Analysis-ability to break down whole to parts
5. Synthesis-ability to put together information…gather parts to make whole
6. Evaluation- ability to make decision/argue out or judge based on rational thinking.

Knowledge; comprehension, synthesis and evaluation should be few while the bulk of the
questions should be at application and analysis. Percentages of skills sought in a test are
indicated at the bottom of the table.

The first 3 skills (knowledge, comprehension, and application) are for low ability questions
whereas analysis, synthesis and evaluation questions test high ability questions. Ratio of high
ability to low ability should be 1:3.

Advantages of the TOS

 Ensures correct weighing

 Guides the teacher against concentrating on few easy topics

 It requires the study of each topic to determine its worth in the course by what it
contributes too each class of blooms taxonomy

 Helps the teacher to define each question.

Moderation: This is the process of validating/vetting of the suitability of test items and the
marking schemes. This is done using a checklist; Is the test item testing the content in the
syllabus? Is the item relevant? Are you with the table of specification? Is the time allocated
enough? Are the items ambiguous? Can the items distinguish the able and less able learners?
What about the level of difficult? Is it too difficulty or too easy? Is language used to the level of
the learner? Check the rubrics- are the instructions clear to the students, diagrams; materials etc
are they compatible with the test items.

In moderation questions are worked out to ensure that the marking scheme is in order and
adjustments are also done accordingly.

NB: moderation should be done by at least teachers. After moderation, the paper is taken for
typing, proof read and produced and kept under locked conditions until the day of the
examination. A test seen by the students in advance affects the reliability and validity. The setter
and moderator should not leak the test to the students. On the day of administration of the test, all
should start at the same time and end together.

Administering the test:

 1) The teacher is expected to prepare question papers in advance plus all the needed
materials and they should be enough.

2) Examination room should be well organized such that no students are either advantaged
or disadvantaged, e.g. clean the blackboard, good sitting arrangement.

3) Question papers should be kept upside down until the time to start, since they may not be
enough.

4) Provide a clock or announce remaining time at intervals.

5) End the test by letting them to stop writing and stand up at once.

A well-constructed test should provide the teacher with information that indicates the following:

 What students have learnt from his/her teaching,

 Whether they understood the underlying principles of what they are learning

 How quickly and accurately they can work,

 How well they can apply what they know to a new problem.

 Whether they have developed higher order thinking status or not.

Types of test methods at secondary schools.

1) Low stake tests – that encourage student and teacher reflection and are used to inform the
teaching and learning process within classroom. They include: classroom objective tests and
Subjective tests.

2) High state tests: - include achievement tests aptitude tests, diagnostic tests and personality
tests.

Ten basic rules that govern test construction;

1) Set questions that test learning not memorization.

2) Avoid wordings that cause confusion or ambiguity.

3) Avoid tricky questions.

4) Generate independent solution questions.

5) Set questions that cover as much of the learning to be tested than selected areas.
 6) In objective questions (have specific answers), avoid leading solutions by giving obvious
wrong alternatives.

7) Set questions that have a convergent solution.

8) Requires students to attempt all questions.

9) Arrange questions according o levels of difficulty; the easier ones should come first.

10) Only set time limit when speed is an element of what is being tested.

MARKING TESTS

Tests can be marked by a team of teachers (pool marking) to ensure that it is marked in time.
The marking should be informative and as objective as possible. Marks should be awarded at the
right places and correct adding done. Marking schemes helps in the allocation of marks, as marks
earned should be directly proportional to the time spent. It shows exactly how many marks are
awarded to the questions and the distribution of marks within each question. During the marking
process, the examiner should be fair and not biased. – “No hallo effect”. Award the student at the
earliest opportunity. Do not delay the awarding of the marks. Mark all the students’ work.
During marking, think with the students but do not think for the students.

Types of marks awarded during mathematics

Marking depends on the kind of student’s responses.

They include:

M1 – marks awarded for correct method shown by the student.

M0 – 0 marks

A – Accuracy mark awarded for correct answer shown. They are of 2 types:

CAO – Correct answer only.*

A– for correct answer following an error – in a latter section.

Accuracy mark is scored only if all M marks are scored above in the particular section.

Ao – wrong answer.

Ao – for wrong answer following an error in a previous section

B – Marks – awarded for answers that can be obtained without showing any working.
Marks independent of method

B-marks-Mainly awarded in construction points, rounding off answers to give accuracy,

completing labels in a graph.

B – Marks should not be treated as free marks.

S-mark used to correct the scale – when the scale is consistent on each axis and should
accommodate all the values in the table. Good scale should cover at least 2/3 the area of the
graph paper.

C – Mark – for construction of a curve – the curve should be smooth and pass through all the
correctly plotted points.

L – Mark for lines correctly drawn.

P – Marks for correct plotting.

Penalties during marking

OW –1 omission of work penalized for not showing working which can not done mentally e.g.
2.585 X 68.75 = _________, Or for not showing vector notation, AB or a.

NB: The penalty should be awarded in a particular section or area deducted from A and B marks
but never from M – Marks

PA1 – Premature approximation – a penalty for approximating values outside the expected
accuracy.

MR – misreads – a student is not expected to misread words. “Misread of figures is penalized”.

Examiners should follow through the students’ work with the misread figure and later deduct the
marks accordingly, e.g. MR – 2

The purpose of test determines the form in which marks are presented. The alternatives include:

Descriptive and letter grading (excellent or pass or A good or B poor or fail E)

Numerical scores – remember numbers alone are meaningless without bench marks in terms of
pass mark or mean grade.

Rank order: this arranges students in merit order; students with the same mark share a position

Analysis of performance

Analyze the performance of the students on each test item. This could include how many got a
given item, what were the difficulties experienced by students, what concepts should be
introduced again. This forms the basis for remedial teaching or re-teaching.
Teacher should be concerned with Value Added Progress (VAP) for each learner and this
should be communicated to the students for guidance & counselling. They should know whether
they should put effort or just maintain the effort.

Teachers should assess whether this is addition of value to the learner or reducing it and be able
to adjust accordingly by giving individualized practice. VAP is assessed by comparing previous
performance viz a vis present performance and determining whether there is a drop or an
improvement in performance.

Record: fill the marks obtained by the students in the record mark books and draw a normal
curve.

Giving feedback: give papers upside down. Arrange papers according to performance range.
Highlight the difficult areas. Comment knowledgeably on the students report form. The
comments should be as encouraging as possible. They should be aimed at giving HOPE.

Summary: team work among teachers is encouraged in Mathematics planning and assessment to
ensure coverage of topics at the same level. A test should cover all topics / content covered
otherwise it will not be valid.

What is the difference between an achievement test and performance test?

Achievement test-is used to measure the degree of mastery of skills, basic concepts, process and
general knowledge of a subject attained by the student. All ordinary tests are achievement tests
used for a particular purpose. Informal tests given in class work are frequently referred to as
achievement tests. E.g. End year exam, CATS etc.
Performance tests- used for placement\grading designed for the entire level performance (F 1-F4)
State 6 criteria of an effective assessment (6mks)
The success of an assessment depends on the satisfaction of the following criteria
Validity: To be valid, a test should be worthwhile. It should measure abilities for which it is
intended. It should be valid for a given group of learners e.g. was the question intended to
measure application
Reliability: Determined by the consistency with which it measures that which it does measure.
This is influenced by: the behaviour of the examiner, Mental & physical condition of a student
and conditions under which the test is given. To be highly reliable a test should be objective
Administrability: Assessment should be economical of the teachers’ time. Amount requires for
construction, administration and scoring of a test should be very clear.
Student consciousness: Should be an open process, clear words. A test should not aim at
confusing or puzzling student. Reasonable tests should be set for reasonable periods of time.
Students’ consciousness: a test should not at confusing or puzzling the students. Reasonable
task should be set for reasonable periods of time.
Motivation for the students: A tests should stimulate the efforts of the student. Questions
should discourage guessing\bluffing. A test should not be used for punishment but should create
the mind of the student.
Utility: Test should provide a further line of action basis for remedial teaching