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Chapter 2

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT

Section Intended Learning Outcome (SILO)

 Analyze the fundamental concepts and

characteristics of 21stcentury assessment.
Intended Learning Outcome (ILO)
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to
distinguish the different types of assessment, and relate
it to learning outcomes.
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OVERVIEW

Assessment is an essential and powerful tool in the teaching and learning

process. Moreover, it is a process of obtaining data with which we could measure
student competence and learning outcomes. The process begins with the
identification of the specific target goals before collecting and interpreting the
information. Classifying and synthesizing of the gathered data are possible through
the use of the different assessment techniques.
This chapter deals mainly on the discussion of the different types of
assessment being used in the teaching and learning process. Some terms are used
interchangeably but it is essential for you to distinguish and analyze the concepts,
principles, and application of these types of assessment.

DISCUSSION

Types of Assessments
1. Traditional and Authentic Assessment
Paper-and-pencil tests or quizzed are best examples of traditional
assessment which mainly describe and measure student learning outcomes.
Law and Eckes state that traditional assessments are single-occasion tests
which measure what learners can do at a particular time.
Traditional Assessments are indirect and inauthentic measures of
students learning outcomes. It is standardized and for that reason, they are
one-shot, speed- based, and norm-referenced (Bailey). Traditional
assessment often focus on learner’s ability of memorization and recall, which
are lower level of cognition skills (Smaldino).
Authentic Assessments focus on the analytical and creative thinking
skills, students to work cooperatively and that reflect student learning,
student achievement, and student attitudes of relevant activities. Assessment
is authentic when it measures performances or products which have realistic
meaning that can be attributed to the success in school. Activities, questions,
and problems with “real world” satisfy the criterion that it needs to be an
authentic intellectual work within the given situation or contextual realism of
the tasks.
The commonly reported dimensions of authenticity are grouped into
three broad categories (Frey):

a. The Context of the Assessment

 Realistic activity or context
 The task is performance-based.
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 The task is cognitively complex.

b. The Role of the Student
 A defense of the answer or product is required.
 The assessment is formative.
 Students collaborate with each other or with the teacher.
c. The Scoring
 The scoring criteria are known or student-developed.
 Multiple indicators or portfolios are used for scoring.
 The performance expectation is mastery.

In the present K to 12 curriculum, the students are expected to produce

products or performances through authentic tasks. This should reflect what
teachers want their students to do with their learning and demonstrate the
use in real life situations. Wiggins argues that teacher should “test those
capacities and habits we think are essential and test them in context. Make
them replicate within reason, the challenges at the heart of each discipline.”
Authentic assessment has four basic characteristics:
a. The task should be representative of performance in the field.
b. Attention should be paid to teaching and learning the criteria for
assessment.
c. Self-assessment should lay a great role.
d. When possible, students should present their work publicly and defend
it.
In general, below are some of the best uses of authentic assessment
(Mueller):
a. Authentic assessments are direct measures.
- Forms of assessment task must be applied in authentic
situations.
- This could be done also by teachers by asking the students to
use what they have learned in some meaningful way.
- Ex. Conducting a science experiment – hypothesis testing,
developing feasibility study, calculating savings.

b. Authentic assessments capture constructive nature of learning.

- In a constructivist point of view, learnings should create
knowledge and meaning based from schemata.
- Thus, assessments cannot just ask students to repeat
information they have received.
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- Students must also be asked to demonstrate that they have

accurately constructed meaning about what they have been
taught.
- Authentic tasks not only serve as assessments but also as
vehicles for such learning.

c. Authentic assessments integrate teaching, learning, and assessment.

- In the authentic assessment model, the same authentic task
used to measure the students’ ability to apply the knowledge
or skills is used as a vehicle for student learning.
- Problem solving and decision making skills are best
exemplified by this purpose.
- Students are learning the process of developing a solution to a
problem by simply applying the meaningful concepts.

d. Authentic assessments provide multiple paths to demonstration.

- Students may have different ways by which they could
demonstrate what they have learned.
- Similarly, authentic tasks tend to give the students more
freedom on how they will demonstrate what they have
learned.

The table summarizes the attributes of traditional from authentic

(performance) assessment.

Attribute Traditional Authentic

Assessment Activity Selecting a response Performing a task
Nature of Activity Contrived activity Activity emulates real
life
Cognitive Level Knowledge/Comprehens Application/Analysis/
ion Synthesis
Development of Solution Teacher-structured Student-structured
Objectivity of Scoring Easily achieved Difficult to achieve
Evidence of Mastery Indirect evidence Direct evidence

2. Formative and Summative Evaluation

Assessment for Learning pertains to the use of formative evaluation
to determine and improve students’ learning outcomes. On the other hand,
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Assessment of Learning uses summative evaluation which provides

evidence of students’ level of achievement in relation to curricular learning
outcomes.
Teaching and learning plans are based on the results of formative
assessment which provides feedback on the effectiveness of teaching and
learning process as seen from the students learning. Summative assessment
is used to determine how much students have learned at the end of term, unit
or academic year. Summative assessment is one basis for determining the final
grade.
Formative assessment refers to the frequent, interactive assessment
of student progress to identify learning needs and shape teaching. Specifically,
this pertains to all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by their
students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as
feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are
engaged.
Formative assessment occurs at three points of instruction:
a. during instruction (assessing as they instruct)
b. between lessons
c. between units

Summative assessments are typically traditional paper-and-pencil

measures such as unit tests, long tests, exams, essays, or projects.

Characteristics of Formative and Summative Evaluation

Characteristics Formative Summative
Purpose To provide ongoing To document student
feedback and adjustment learning at the end of an
to instruction instructional segment
When Conducted During instruction and After instruction
after instruction
Student Involvement Encouraged Discouraged
Student Motivation Intrinsic, mastery- Extrinsic, performance-
oriented oriented
Characteristics Formative Summative
Teacher Role To provide immediate, To measure student
specific feedback and achievement and give
instructional correctives grades
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Learning Emphasized Deep understanding, Knowledge and

application, and Comprehension
reasoning
Level of Specificity Highly specific and General and group
individual oriented
Structure Flexible, adaptable Rigid, highly structured
Characteristics Formative Summative
Techniques Informal Formal
Impact on Learning Strong, positive, long- Weak and fleeting
lasting

3. Norm and Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Norm-referenced assessment gives us information on what the
student can perform by comparing to another student. Teachers can actually
rank the achievement of their students; competition exists. Criterion-
referenced assessment describes the performance of the students without
reference to the performance of others which uses preset criteria or
predefined and absolute standard or outcomes. Usually, it describes student’s
mastery of the course content, thus, there is no competition for a limited
percentage for a high score. Both methods are very useful in assessing learning
outcomes. The first tells how an individual performance compares with that of
others, the second tells the specific performance in terms of what an individual
can do without reference to performance of others.
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Summary Comparison of Two

Basic Approaches to Achievement

Norm-Referenced Criterion-Referenced
Principal Use Survey Testing Mastery Testing
Major Emphasis Measures individual Describes tasks students
differences in can perform
achievement
Interpretation of Results Compares performance Compares performance
to that of other individual to a clearly specified
achievement domain
Content of Courage Typically covers a broad Typically focuses on a
area of achievement limited set of learning
tasks
Nature of Test Plan TOS is commonly used Detailed domain
specifications are favored
Item Selection Items are selected that Includes all times needed
Procedures provide maximum adequately to describe
discrimination among performance. No attempt
individuals (to attain a is made to alter item
reliable ranking). Easy difficulty or to eliminate
items are typically easy items to increase the
eliminated from the tests. spread of scores.
Performance Standards Level of performance is Level of performance is
determined by relative commonly determined by
position in some known absolute standards
groups (ranks fifth in a (demonstrates mastery
group of 20) by defining 90% of
technical terms).

4. Contextualized and Decontextualized Assessment

In contextualized assessment, the focus is on the students’ construction
of functioning knowledge and the students’ performance in application of
knowledge in the real work context of the discipline area. It uses performance-
based tasks which are authentic in nature.
It describes assessment practices which measure skills and knowledge
in dealing with specific situations or perform specific tasks which the students
have identified as important and meaningful to them. Application of the skills
and knowledge must be in the context of the real world as possible.
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According to Biggs, decontextualized assessment includes written

exams and term papers, which are suitable for assessing declarative
knowledge, and do not necessarily have a direct connection to a real-life
context. It focuses on declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge in
artificial situations detached from the real work context.

5. Analytic and Holistic Assessment

Analytic assessment refers to specific approach in the assessment of
learning outcomes. In this procedure, students are given feedback on how well
they are doing on each important aspect of specific task expected from them.
Holistic assessment is a method of evaluating a composition based on its
overall quality. Also known as global grading, single-impression scoring, and
impressionistic grading. Examples: portfolio, group presentation, reflection
papers and journals.

EXPLORE

Concept Mapping
Construct a concept map showing the relationship between the different types
of assessment.

Types of
Assessment
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APPLY

You are a seasoned teacher and some beginning teachers seek for your help in
determining the suitable way to evaluate progress of the students in measuring the
following domains. What will you recommend/suggest?
1. Cognitive
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2. Psychomotor
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3. Affective
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ASSESS

A. Form a group of students. Interview at least five faculty members. Use the
following as your guide. (Write summary of responses after each question.)

1. What is your definition of assessment?

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2. What common assessment techniques are you utilizing in the classroom setting?
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Conclusion/s:
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B. Complete the matrix of the different types of assessment.

Types of Brief Classroom
Advantages/Disadvantages
Assessment Description Application
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.