Types of Assessment Tools

     Objectives of data collections:

1.      Meet with students regularly to discuss their progress

2.      Adjust rating criteria as learners change and progress

1. Observation – occurs during students’ daily reading, writing, listening and speaking experiences. It is an unobtrusive means by which teachers and students can determine their progress during learning.

2. Anecdotal Records – notes written by the teacher regarding student language behavior, or learning. They document and describe significant daily events, and relevant aspects of student activity and progress.

3. Checklist – usually completed while students are engaged in specific activities or processes, are lists of specific criteria that teachers focus on at a particular time or during a particular process. This is used to record whether students have acquired specific knowledge, skills processes, abilities and attitudes. Checklist should inform teachers about where their instruction has been successful and where the students need assistance or further instruction.

4. Rating Scales and Rubrics – record the extent to which specific criteria have been achieved by the student or are present in the student’s work. Rating scale also record the quality of the student’s performance at a given time or within a given process. Rubrics include criteria that describe each level of the rating scale and are used to determine student progress in comparison to prior expectation.

5. Portfolios – portfolios are collections of relevant work that reflect students’ individual efforts, development, and progress over a designated period of time. Portfolios provide students, teachers, administrators and guardians with a broad picture of each student’s growth over time, including the student’s abilities, knowledge, skills and attitudes.

6. Speaking and Listening – Oral presentations and incidental observations provide opportunities to gather information about students’ listening speaking abilities. Other assessment tools can be used for setting a mark for each student.

7. Interviews/Conferences – Teacher-student interviews or conferences are productive means of assessing individual achievement and needs. During discussions, teachers can discover students’ perceptions of their own processes and products of learning.

8. Projects and Presentations – Teachers may assess the attitudes, skill development, knowledge or learning processes demonstrated by students as they engage in language activities such as written reports, visual representations, oral presentations or projects which combine more than one aspect of language use and understanding. Other assessment tools can be used for setting a mark for each student.

9. Quizzes, Tests and Examinations – most often used for assessing students’ knowledge of content; however, they may be used to assess processes, skills, and attitudes. Tests, whether oral or written, must represent students’ achievements as accurately as possible. Formats for test items should be varied; each type is most effective at assessing and evaluating student progress when used in conjunction with the other types.

Go, Mildred B. et. al; English Language and Literature Assessment: A Comprehensive Guide

Lorimar Publishing Inc.; 2010

Kinds of Assessment and Evaluation

1. Diagnostic assessment and evaluation – given at the beginning of the school year to determine students’ knowledge and skills, their learning needs and their motivational and interest levels. Through evaluation of the results, teachers will be able to determine where to begin and what concepts or skills to emphasize, select learning objectives.

2. Formative assessment and evaluation – focuses on the processes and products of learning. Formative assessment is continuous and is meant to inform the students, guardians and the teacher of the students’ progress toward the curriculum objectives. This also provides information upon which instructional decisions and adaptations can be made and provides students with directions for future learning.

3. Summative assessment and evaluation – given at the end of a unit of instruction and at term of the year end when students are ready to demonstrate achievement of curriculum objectives. The main purpose are to determine knowledge, skills, abilities, and “attitudes that have developed over a given  period of time; to summarize students’ progress and to report this progress to students, guardians and teachers.