Assessments
Asking students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter is critical to the learning process; it is essential to evaluate whether the educational goals and standards of the lessons are being met.
Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding.
When assessment works best, it does the following:
Provides diagnostic feedback- What is the student's knowledge base?
- What is the student's performance base?
- What are the student's needs?
- What has to be taught?
- What performance demonstrates understanding?
- What performance demonstrates knowledge?
- What performance demonstrates mastery?
- How is the student doing?
- What teaching methods or approaches are most effective?
- What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?
- What has the student learned?
- Can the student talk about the new knowledge?
- Can the student demonstrate and use the new skills in other projects?
- Motivates performance
- Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I doing?
- Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do better?
- What else would I like to learn?
- What is working for the students?
- What can I do to help the students more?
- In what direction should we go next?
