Assessments and their Role in Education

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion section
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Assessment plays an important role in education as it helps both teachers and learners evaluate and assess their level of knowledge and skills. Assessment should be used for grading and reporting purposes only. Once a student knows what he needs, the next stage is to quantify what he already has and to measure any performance gaps a teacher discovers. This can be done on a predictive basis by having students perform competency and activity assessments. Some assessments have competency modules that allow these issues to make faster with the resulting data gathered and analyzed automatically (Walvoord, 2004). Performance gaps can also be observed operationally by teachers in teams whose students are failing to achieve the required results. In other learning environments, if the knowledge required to meet learning objectives resides within the enterprise, the next stage is to capture it from subject matter experts. When that knowledge is not available internally, consult external subject matter experts or by the knowledge from third parties (Marzano, 2006).

Discussion section

Assessment enhances learning only partially. Rich learning costs time and money to develop and as a result some students believe it does not support fresh learning and just-in-time learning. This tension between rich and fast is one that generates a lot of discussion among practitioners of traditional learning. At one extreme, some students hold the view that speed is everything and if that means traditional learning content is a collection of presentations, so be it. In such situations, the assessment will not motivate or inspire learners to improve their skills and master new knowledge (Walvoord, 2004).

One of the shortcomings of the old training initiatives is the practice of delivering assessments just in case. The trouble with just-in-case assessment —no matter how important the content—is that its relevance is unlikely to be recognized. In other words, it’s way too soon to learn. Adult learners do not engage with content that has no obvious application. To some extent, assessment allows learners to access learning not only according to a centrally determined schedule but at the very moment the learner needs it most (Walvoord, 2004). That is when it is most relevant and most likely to be assimilated. Even though the publication of a full set of internationally agreed standards is still a while off, the future evolution of draft standards is well signposted and that is already protecting investments in learning. So far, development work has been on standards for asynchronous self-paced courses built from learning objects; ahead lies the dual challenge of developing compatible standards for synchronous e-learning and simulations. Because a typical learner is unlikely to be either computer- or text-literate, no computing or reading skills are required to use the system. The approach also had the advantage of integrating feedback and evaluation with content; he does not need a text or spoken message to tell a student that he has moved the torch too slowly, he can see a puddle form on the screen (Marzano, 2006).

Conclusion

In the future, the authentic assessment will not be less prominent because it cannot perform its main function imposed by many educators: motivation. Assessment does not motivate students to master new knowledge but shows the level of knowledge acquisition and professional growth. If the performance gap is the result of a lack of information, the intention is to tell learners what they do not know. That might be details of a new business strategy emanating from the board room, the features and prices of a new product range, or updates about how a newly acquired business will be integrated with the parent company. The closer a curriculum matches the roles and responsibilities of a learner, the more effective it is.

References

Marzano, R. J. (2006). Classroom Assessment & Grading That Work. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve.
Walvoord, B. E. (2004). Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education. Jossey-Bass; 1 edition.

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Assessments and their Role in Education

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