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educationalsetting,assessment,evaluation, and testing are all used to measure how much of the assigned materials students are mastering, how well student are learning the materials, and how well student are meeting the stated goals and objectives.Althoughyou may believe that assessments only provide instructors with information on which to base a score or grade, assessments also help you to assess your own learning. Education professionals make distinctions between assessment, evaluation, and testing. However, for the purposes of this tutorial, all you really need to understand is that these are three different terms for referring to the process offiguring out how much you know about a given topic and that each term has a different meaning.To simplify things,we will use the term unit test throughoutthis tutorial to refer to this process of measuring what you know and have learned. In case you are curious, here are some definitions:
4. 4 A test or quiz is used to examine someone's knowledge of something to determine what he or she knows or has learned. Testing measures the level of skill or knowledge that has been reached. Evaluation is the process of making judgments based on criteria and evidence. Assessmentis the process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs, usually in measurable terms. The goal of assessment is to make improvements,as opposed to simply being judged. In an educational context, assessment is the process of describing, collecting, recording, scoring, and interpreting information about learning. 5. NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF UNIT TEST The cycle of teaching and testing is familiar to anyone who has been a student, but why is testing even necessary? The answer seems obvious: to see what students have learned. However, this answer is more complicated with multiple reasons as to why schools use tests. At the school level,educators create tests to measure their students' understanding of specific content or the effective application of critical thinking skills. Such tests are used to evaluate student learning, skill level growth,and academic achievements at the end of an instructional period—such as the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. These tests designed as summative assessment.
5. 5 According to the Glossary for Educational Reform, summative assessments are defined by three criteria: To evaluate and grade students. Unit tests provide a controlled environment for independent work and so are often used to verify students’ learning. To motivate students to study. Students tend to open their books more often when an evaluation is coming up. Unit test can be great motivators. To add variety to student learning. Unit tests are a form of learning activity. They can enable students to see the material from a different perspective. They also provide feedback that students can then use to improve their understanding. To identify weaknesses and correct them. Unit tests enable both students and instructors to identify which areas of the material students do not understand. This allows students to seek help,and instructors to address areas that may need more attention,thus enabling student progression and improvement. To obtain feedback on your teaching. You can use unit tests to evaluate your own teaching. Students’ performance on the unit test will pinpoint areas where you should spend more time or change your current approach. To provide statistics for the course or institution. Institutions often want information on how students are doing. How many are passing and failing, and what is the average achievement in class? Unit tests can provide this information. To accredit qualified students. Certain professions demand that students demonstrate the acquisition of certain skills or knowledge. An test can provide such proof – for example, the Uniform Final Examination (UFE) serves this purpose in accounting.
6. 6 At the district, state, or national level, standardized tests are an additional form ofsummative assessments.The legislation passed in 2002 known as No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandated annual testing in every state. This testing was linked to federal funding of public schools. The arrival of the Common Core State Standards in 2009 continued state-by-state testing through different testing groups (PARCC and SBAC) in order to determine student readiness for college and career. Many states have since developed their own standardized tests. Examples of standardized tests include the ITBS for elementary students; and for secondary schools the PSAT, SAT, ACT as well as Advanced Placement exams. a. To assess what students have learned The obvious point of classroom testing is to assess what students have learned after the completion of a lesson or unit. When the classroom tests are tied to effectively written lesson objectives, a teacher can analyze the results to see where the majority of students did well or need more work. These tests are also important when discussing student progress at parent-teacher conferences. b. To identify student strengths and weaknesses Another use of tests at the school level is to determine student strengths and weaknesses. One effective example of this is when teachers use pretests at the beginning of units in order to find out what students alreadyknow and figure out where to focusthe lesson. Further, learning style and multiple intelligences tests help teachers learn how to best meet the needs of their students through instructional techniques. c. To measure effectiveness
7. 7 Until 2016, school funding had been determined by student performance on state exams. In a memo in December of 2016, the US Department of Education explained that the Every Student SucceedsAct (ESSA) would require fewer tests.Along with this requirementcamea recommendationfor the use of effective tests. "To support State and local efforts to reduce testing time, section 1111(b)(2)(L) of the ESEA allows each State, at its discretion, the option to set a limit on the aggregate amount of time devoted to the administration of assessments during a school year." This shift in attitude by the federal governmentcameis a response to concerns over the number ofhours schools use to specifically "teach to the test" as they prepare students to take these exams. Somestates already use or plan to use the results ofstate tests when they evaluate and give merit raises to the teachers themselves. This use of high-stakes testing can be contentious with educators who believe they cannot control the many factors influence a student's grade on an exam. There is a national test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),which is the "largest nationally representative and continuing assessment ofwhat America's students know and can do in various subject areas." The NAEP tracks the progress of US students annually and compares the results with international tests. d. To determine recipients of awards and recognition Tests can be used as a way to determine who will receive awards and recognition.
8. 8 For example, the PSAT/NMSQT is often given in the 10th grade to students across the nation. When students become National Merit Scholars due totheirresultson this test,they are offered scholarships. There are an anticipated 7,500scholarshipwinners who may receive $2500 scholarships, corporate-sponsored scholarships, or college- sponsored scholarships. e. For college credit Advanced Placement exams provide students with the opportunity to earn college credit after successfully completing a course and passing the exam with high marks.While every university has its own rules on what scores to accept, they may give credit for these exams. In many cases, studentsare able to begin college with a semester or even a year's worth of credits under their belts. Many colleges offer a “dual enrollment program” to high school students who enroll in college courses and receive credit when they pass the exit test. f. To judge student merit for an internship, program or college Tests have traditionally been used as a way to judge a student based on merit.The SAT and ACT are two common tests that form part of a student's entrance application to colleges. Additionally, students might be required to take additional exams to get into special programs or be placed properly in classes. For example, a student who has taken a few years of high school French might be required to pass an exam in order to be placed in the correct year of French instruction.
9. 9 Programs such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) "assess student work as direct evidence of achievement" that students may use in college applications. 6. IMPORTANCE OF ASSESSING THE PROGRESS OF LEARNING Teachers monitor student progress for several purposes. Teachers can use monitoring tools to evaluate how well an individual student learns new concepts presented in class and how well she retains skills and concepts previously learned. Teachers can also evaluate how well the current teaching program performs in reaching students and what changes can be made in the way things are taught to improve learning. Curriculum Curriculum-based monitoring uses standardized tests that include material presented over the course of the entire year as a way to effectively and accurately monitor student progress and teaching methods. All of the concepts for the year appear on each test, although the questions appear in different forms so students don’t learn the test. The teacher uses the tests on a regular basis to measure student progress.If the grades rise during the course of the year, the teacher knows the teaching methods are effective and the students are learning. If the grades plateau or drop, the teacher knows the teaching methodsare not effective and he needs to presentmaterials and concepts in different ways so that students learn and retain the material. Frequent Evaluations
10. 10 Frequent evaluations that chart student progress can positively impact how students viewthemselvesas learners,according to Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam,authorsof “Inside the Black Box.” This is especially true with at-risk students.Frequent evaluation though classroom response,written work, testing and student-teacher interaction can pinpoint areas where a student needs additional help or a different type of instruction to achieve successful learning. Successfullearningimprovesthe student’s self-esteem and motivation to continue to participate in the educationalexperience. Observationand Interaction Individualinteraction between teacher and student provides the teacher with opportunitiesto evaluate progress and retention.This interaction can also provide the student with an opportunityto evaluate her own progress and communicate any concerns or needs to the teacher,a componentthat Black and William report is critical to accurate progress evaluation. A teacher and student joint review of the student’s writtenwork can facilitate an accurate evaluation of progress,or lack thereof,and provide the teacher with valuable suggestions for adapting instructionto meet the student’s needs.The teacher can supply the student with clear targets for progress and enable the student to map a path to success.Positive feedback provides the student with valuable motivation and encouragement that can change the student’s self-perception from a negative outlook to a positive one. 7. CHARACTERISTICS OF UNIT TEST a) Unit tests provide a controlled environmentfor independent work and so are often used to verify students’learning. b) Students tend to open their books more often when an evaluation is coming up. Unit tests can be great motivators.
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