Philosophy of Assessment

Assessment is the act of evaluating people or things; educators use it to gauge, test, and document the progress made by students in learning and skills acquisition and the academic readiness and educational needs of students. It involves collecting relevant information about the progress and performance of students to judge their learning process and interests. Assessment is a learning tool with a formative goal of enhancing students' learning and faculty teaching. Assessment is also taken to meet the requirements of external entities like state agencies, administrators, and accrediting bodies and benefit students. All types of assessment give a glimpse of students understanding at a given time during the learning process.

Instruction and assessment have a close connection because lessons are delivered and modified based on the reviews and findings in the assessment. Other than assigning grades, assessment, specifically the formative one, is used alongside instruction as a continuous process that enhances the efficiency of instructions. Teachers envision lesson goals while writing objectives; these objectives need to align with the formative assessment task to determine whether the students have attained the learning outcomes in place.

High-stakes testing involves using tests to make key decisions about a student, such as whether they will graduate or move to the next grade. According to research, high–stakes testing causes harm to education and individual students (IDRA, 2002 ). High-stakes testing is unfair to students. They record lower scores due to high anxiety and other factors beyond their control, such as poorly funded schools with inadequate facilities and instructors. The students are held accountable, yet they have no access to equitable education. High-stakes testing also gives misinformation to the public as it provides insufficient information on school performances without accounting for other factors affecting learning. This makes the tests a weak measure of academics. High-stakes testing also leads to increased dropout and grade retention. Grade retention is counterproductive because it hinders academic improvement, making students have self-esteem issues, lose interest in school, and hence be inclined to drop out. High-stakes testing makes excellent teachers leave because they get discouraged and revolted by overemphasis on testing, hindering learning and real improvements in schools.

Research on assessment is important because it gives the latest information and helps bring ideas on new assessment methods. It also expands one’s knowledge base such that one is well-versed in various effective assessment methods. Research also builds credibility; it gives a solid foundation for creating assessment methods that are reliable and impactful. Research on assessment can also help in solving problems as more information is gathered to create better solutions.

Assessment should be used in learning to demonstrate one’s ability to apply knowledge rather than a measure of knowledge at a given time. Recent trends in the assessment include moving away from traditional assessment methods of delivery such as remote invigilation instead of sitting for exams in test centers; this gives candidates the flexibility to sit exams where it suits them as long as they have a good internet connection. Assessments are now more effective and engaging because they use diverse questions to give more insight into how people apply knowledge and what they know. Questions can be custom-made according to how previous questions were answered. Alternative questions can also be asked to give students a chance to express their level of knowledge.? Assessments are now more candidate-centric; the emphasis is majorly on the quality of experience that candidates get. Examinations and essential information are presented in a friendly mode. There is also a shift from traditional grading to one that is based on standards. Providing letters and numbers to show a student’s academic ability does not shed enough light on what a student has learned. There is a new focus on what a student knows rather than their grades because it helps in identifying learning deficiencies and using this information to adjust teaching methods.

Standard-based is a system of teaching, assessing, grading, and reporting centered on students' mastery of knowledge and skills from their course content as they continue with their education. What students are supposed to know at a specific stage of learning is described in writing and determines the goals of the course and how to teach students so that they can meet learning expectations.

Summative assessment assesses learning; it shows what students have accomplished and is used to determine the final grade; it evaluates understanding at the end of a checkpoint and is used for answerability of teachers, students, and their schools. Formative assessment gives instructors feedback on what students need to learn and practice so that they can achieve desired levels of proficiency. Results from the formative assessment can be used by students to know what they can do differently to improve their learning. It is a low-stake valuation that helps to gauge retention and understanding of knowledge. (Tookoian, 2018 ) Formative and summative assessments have different purposes but may use similar or the same tools. Pre-assessment or diagnostic assessment enables instructors to collect important information regarding what students know and what they can do before being taught in order to determine teaching strategies. It also highlights learners' interests and preferred learning styles. Interim assessments are given in entire districts or institutions of learning to gauge if learners are conversant with the material and whether they are progressing at an acceptable pace. They are given at various intervals during the year to guide future teaching and prepare students for summative examinations and national testing. (Tookoian, 2018 )

Grading practices should effectively communicate student progress. The education system creates a stressful experience for students and worries about their grades because the grades determine whether they will get opportunities like joining college. The letter-based grading system is easy to understand and interpret by students, instructors, and parents while checking student performance; however, certain aspects like essays and extracurricular activities may be harder to compare. Most tutors prioritize content mastery by students, which penalizes those who do not have good grades yet they put in a lot of effort in class.? The difference in tutor requirements creates grade-related stress on students.

Grading is also a vital motivator for students to engage in education and helps students increase the time they put into academics in order to attain high grades. Letter-based system of grading needs to be reformed so that it may have positive effects on learning. Standardization should be done to ensure that a student's final grade incorporates the student's effort, achievement, and mastery of content so that they can succeed in the working world.

Parents need to be involved and play an active role in their children’s assessment of learning instead of waiting to receive report cards that may have disappointing results when the opportunity to help has long passed. Instructors should also communicate with parents their assessment plans and why they use them so that parents can understand how to help their children attain success because parents have a significant influence on the learning of their children. Communication also enhances trust between parents and teachers because they will feel like the instructor is looking after the best interests of their children. Giving written feedback to learners and parents ensures it doesn't lose its essence as verbal communication would. Holding parent-teacher conferences that are led by learners helps them to be more aware of their learning habits, and they can explain why they are making a certain type of progress.

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REFERENCES

IDRA. (2002). The Dangerous Consequences of High-Stakes Testing, FairTesr, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Intercultural Development Research Association.

Tookoian, J. (2018). Different Types of Assessment and What You Need to Know About Them. Edulastic.

Elmahdi, I., Al-Hattami, A., & Fawzi, H. (2018). Using Technology for Formative Assessment to Improve Students' Learning.?Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET,?17(2), 182-188.

Grob, R., Holmeier, M., & Labudde, P. (2017). Formative assessment to support students' competencies in inquiry-based science education. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning,?11(2), 6.