Another role of assessment is to direct the instructional process. If used as a pervasive observation, transaction that takes place in a classroom, and monitoring is an important kind of educational assessment. Instructors can determine if a lesson is going well and students understand concepts by observation during learning, responses to questions that are in tune with what is being discussed, and good interaction (Hipkins, 2009).
Moreover, assessment is an important means a teacher uses to diagnose the various learning difficulties, helps the instructor note the specific areas of strength and weakness for the learners so that they can plan instruction to build on the strengths and remediate weaknesses (Willis, 2010).
Additionally, the assessment gives a report of the individual achievements made through learning for students, parents, education institutes where they can apply to study, potential employers, and professional and occupational licensing bodies. Results from learning activities in class, assignment papers and informal observations on how well a student has attained various learning targets is used to grade students for a lesson or unit (Mikre, 2010).
Moreover, assessment will direct students to priorities of instruction thus influencing the approach they take to experience curriculum of the course. Informal questions, tests, and examinations indicate to students that parts of the curriculum have priority.
Furthermore, assessment is useful in enhancing student motivation, sense of self-efficacy and self-concept. Assessment whose design is to produce real success in learning of students and experience of curriculum when frequently used stimulates the confidence of students and their willingness to learn leading to enhanced motivation towards the course. Consequently, this results in better study habits (Shepard, 2000). The feedback helps in identification of the learners’ strengths and weaknesses hence teachers can provide more appropriate guidance to their learners.
The roles played by assessment are crucial. However, the existing modes of assessment should be in line with changing requirements of an ever transforming world. The current world demands new knowledge and enhanced abilities. This calls for changes in the assessment at the classroom and school level culminating in assessment mode that enable students to not only understand the basics but also think creatively and critically, analyze concepts with a toothcomb, and make appropriate inferences. Skills and knowledge needed for success have been changing; therefore, assessment strategies should change to tie assessment design and its content to the new envisaged outcomes and purposes for this assessment (Willis, 2010). Assessment should also provide learners with an opportunity to put in practice what they know and can do in real-life situations. Testing only facts and skills in isolation in the standardized tests is outmoded, and a rethinking is required (Shepard, 2000). Ultimately, there should be a closer match between the skills learners acquire in school and the key important skills they will require upon exiting the schools. Assessment should be geared towards closing this gap.
Formative assessment is the assessment employed to monitor learning. The role of formative assessment is to monitor the learning of students and then provide feedback that can be used by instructors to better their teaching, and in regard to students, to improve their learning (Hipkins, 2009). They generate immediate feedback to both student and teacher regarding the learning process. The various values of formative assessment include; helping students identify the strengths and weaknesses that are inherent in them and hence the specific areas they have to work on, helping teachers recognize where students are struggling thus address the problems immediately. Asking students to give a sentence identifying the main point of the lecture is an example of formative assessment.
In contrast, summative assessment refers to cumulative evaluation used to measure the growth of students after being instructed. It is the assessment of learning. The role of this type of assessment is to make a determination whether the desired long-term learning goals have been achieved (Willis, 2010). The value of summative assessment is in its use in evaluation of the learning of students, acquisition of key skills and competencies, and overall academic achievement typically at the end of a unit, semester, course, school year or program. Examples of a summative assessment include a midterm exam, a final project, writing a paper and a senior recital.
In my classroom, summative assessment plays a great role in academic achievement. The various tests, projects, or assignments give a genuine determination of whether students in my classroom have learned what the curriculum expects them to learn. Moreover, the summative tests are issued at the conclusion of a given instructional period and are hence evaluative of our progress in learning and the substantive achievement made. On the other hand, formative assessment helps our teachers to diagnose the various challenges we are facing as a class and come up with the appropriate ways to address them ensuring that we don’t stray off the learning path.
The outcomes of formative assessment support learning in many ways. The frequent monitoring of learners’ progress to a set goal and level of performance results in higher achievement of students (Mikre, 2010). Furthermore, formative assessment can be student-specific and can be used at the student level hence identifying the exact support the particular student requires. The focus on an individual student gives immediate feedback on their progress in the curriculum requirements.
Summative assessment provides guidance to teaching methods leading to adaptation of the most requisite methods. Teachers can use the assessment data to better their teaching methods and deliver in classrooms. Moreover, it can serve in bettering the curriculum appropriately to match the specific needs and interests of students (Shepard, 2000). The assessment can be aptly be used in planning curricula.
Developing specific details an assessment for Common Core State Standard will involve supporting teachers to implement procedures and respond to them by making corresponding adjustments in how they instruct learners. Moreover, formative and summative assessments should be used in conjunction. This has potential to improve learning outcomes for all students across the spectrum.
References
Mikre, F. (2010). Review Article: The roles of assessment in curriculum practice and enhancement of learning. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 5(2).
Hipkins, R. (2009). Determining meaning for key competencies via assessment practices. Assessment Matters, 1(1), 4-11.
Shepard, L. A., & Sheppard, L. A. (2000). The role of classroom assessment in teaching and learning.
Shepard, L. A. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational researcher, 4-14.
Willis, J. (2010). Assessment for learning as a participative pedagogy. Assessment Matters, 2, 65.
