As a teacher, there are some things you should know about evaluation, assessment and measurement in order to achieve success in assessing your pupils’ progress in learning. Continue reading to know them.
1. What is Evaluation?
Evaluation is a purposeful, cyclical process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting relevant information in order to judge and make educational decisions.
2. What Does the Process of Evaluation Focus on?
The process of evaluation may focus on the quality, appropriateness, worth or relevance of teachers, students, classroom instruction, instructional materials and activities, or whole courses or programmes of instruction.
The process of evaluation includes different stages and aspects such as measurement, assessment, appraisal and judgment.
3. Ongoing Assessment
The assessment here is done on daily bases and the final grade is some kind of combination of the grades the learner received for various assessments during the whole period/course/year.
4. The Main Purpose of Assessment
Assessment should be an integral part of instruction. The main purpose is to know how well the pupils have mastered each step or unit so that teachers can make necessary modifications in the process of teaching and prepare effective remedial plans. For these reasons, assessment should be present in every lesson.
5. Testing VS Assessment
The word “test” is usually used to describe a systematic procedure for obtaining a sample of student behaviour, while “assessment” is often used to describe a broader process of collecting information. Testing is usually used interchangeably with “Measurement”.
6. Important Facts About Tests
When creating a test, you should remember the following facts about tests:
- Tests play a role in classroom assessment but they are only one type of assessment.
- In the test, students must individually demonstrate their knowledge and abilities.
- Tests can sometimes check on the learning of a discrete point of instruction, such as vocabulary or grammar points. They can also assess broader areas of reading or writing.
- Test results are usually expressed quantitatively with numbers.
7. Characteristics of a Good Test
When creating a test, you should also consider the following eight characteristics in order to have a good test:
1. Valid
A test is considered valid when it measures what it is supposed to measure “content validity”.
Exam papers should have “face validity”, i.e., the papers should look professionally produced, be easy to read, have no smudges or typing errors, and have clear instructions. Otherwise, students are faced with problems not connected with the subject being tested.
2. Reliable
A test is considered reliable if it is taken again by the same students under the same circumstances and the scoring average is almost constant, taking into consideration that the time between the test and the retest is of reasonable length.
3. Objective
The questions and answers should be clear and definite so that the marks would give a score a student deserves.
4. Comprehensive
A good test should include items from different areas of material assigned for the test. This enables teachers to know accurately the extent of pupils’ knowledge.
5. Appropriate in Difficulty
The test questions should be appropriate in difficulty neither too hard nor too easy. Besides they should be progressive in difficulty in order to reduce stress and tension.
6. Practical
A practical test is easy to administer and score without wasting too much time and effort.
7. Balanced
A test should evaluate both linguistic and communicative competencies.
8. Timed
A good test should be appropriate in length for the allotted time.
Thanks For Reading
For more knowledge on creating a good language test and writing effective test items, you can get my book:
“Writing Effective Test Items: The Definitive Guide”.
What is This eBook About?
It is a practical guide to constructing effective test questions. It provides teachers with step-by-step instructions they need to go deeper, further and faster toward making success in creating effective classroom exams with ease and comfort.
Why Did I Create it?
I created this eBook because many teachers asked me frequently for a guide to help them write test questions in a more effective way.
What Benefits Can You Get From It?
In this eBook, I share my experience in creating successful exams over +20 years. It is the comprehensive guide that I wish someone would have shared with me when I first started to make classroom tests for my students.
After reading this guide, teachers will be able to:
- Establish the technical quality of a test by achieving certain standards.
- Use and develop effective test items following appropriate guidelines.
- Avoid common pitfalls in testing their students.
- Grade essay tests more effectively and fairly.
Who is This eBook For?
This guide is a valuable resource for any teacher who is interested in constructing test items that can capture effectively and fairly what a student knows.
It is the comprehensive guide that I personally wish someone would have shared with me when I first started to make classroom tests for my students.
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