Chapter: One
Definitions and Purposes
of Measurement and Evaluation
EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT and
EVALUATION
•This course is designed to develop an understanding of
measurement and evaluation concepts, theories and
principles.
•The main focus of the course is on the development and
utilization of assessment tools to improve the teaching
learning process.
•The emphasis is put on measuring knowledge,
comprehensions and other thinking skills.
•It allows the trainees to go through the standard steps in
test construction for quality assessment.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit the learner will be able to:
• Explain the terms test and testing.
• Define the term assessment
• Clarify the terms measurement and evaluation
• List the purposes of measurement and evaluation
• Explain the types of evaluation.
Components of Teaching and learning
process
Teaching and learning process has four major
components
1. Teacher and Learner
2. Instructional strategies
3. Curriculum ( contents and activities)
4. Assessment: is carried out to see whether
the objectives of learning process have
been achieved or not
Meaning of Terms
• Test and testing
• Measurement
• Assessment
• Evaluation
Test
• A test is a measuring tool or instrument in
education.
• More specifically, a test is considered to be a kind
or class of measurement device typically used to
find out something about a person.
• Most of the times, when you finish a lesson or
lessons in a week, your teacher gives you a test.
• This test is an instrument given to you by the
teacher in order to obtain data on which you are
judged.
Conti……………
• Most commonly used method of making
measurements in education.
• Designed to measure any quality, ability, skill
or knowledge. There is right or wrong answer.
Testing
• Testing is the process of administering the test
on the students.
• In other words the process of making you or
letting you take the test in order to obtain a
quantitative representation of the cognitive or
non-cognitive traits you possess is called testing.
• So the instrument or tool is the test and the
process of administering the test is testing.
Measurement
• The process of applying numbers to events,
objects etc according to certain rules
• Is a systematic assignment of numerical
values to a trait or an attribute in a person or
object.
• Quantifying of how much does learner learned.
• It represents quantities of attributes.
• Measurement is Numerical value of any attribute or
trial (50 Kg)
• For instance what is the height of your friend?
• What is the weight of the meat?
• What is the length of the classroom?
For Example: Measuring physical characteristics or
attributes of an object
• 40 kg
• 3 litters
• 120 IQ
Evaluation
• Interpretation about the number, amount or
value of something
• It is concerned with making judgments on the
value of a performance, answer the question
“how good, adequate, or desirable”.
• Measurement is Numerical value of any
attribute or trial (50 Kg) and when analyses and
interpreted qualitatively it is known as
Evaluation (heavy).
Conti…….
• It is qualitatively
For Example:
• More • Outstanding
• Less • Excellent
• High • Very good
• Superior • Average
• Below average
Assessment
• Assessment is the process of gathering data about
the student performance using different tools, such
as quiz or teacher observation,
• The process of defining, selecting, designing,
collecting, analyzing, interpreting and using
information to increase students’ learning and
development.
• Is both Quantitative and Qualitative in nature
• Methods of measuring and evaluating the nature
of the learner/(what he learned, how he learned)
Types of Assessment
• Placement Assessment
• Diagnostic Assessment
• Formative Assessment
• Summative Assessment
• Criterion- referenced assessment
• Norm- referenced assessment
Placement Assessment
• This is a type of assessment carried out in order
to fix the students in the appropriate group or
class.
• Classification or streaming of students
according to ability or subjects
• In some schools for instance, students are
assigned to classes according to their subject
combinations, such as science, Technical, arts,
Commercial etc.
Diagnostic assessment
• Pre-assessment
• Assess a student’s strengthens, weakness
knowledge, and skills prior to instruction.
• These diagnostic tests can be in the form of
achievement tests, performance test, self
rating, interviews observations, etc.
Formative assessment
• Assess student’s performance during instructions ,
in order to modify teaching learning process .
• It provides a feedback to the teacher and the
student and thus estimating teaching success e.g.
weekly tests, terminal examinations etc. Aimed at
• Improving the teaching learning process
• Identifying learning difficulties
• Providing remedial measures to the
learning difficulties
Summative assessment
• Assessment of student’s learning
performance which is conducted at the end
of a course, Unit of a course, semester,
session or year.
• Is taken by students at the end of a course or
academic year to demonstrate the “Sum” of
what they have learned.
• The results are used for certifying , ranking
or grading and promote the students to
the next class.
Norm- referenced assessment
• Compare a student’s performance against other
students(a national group or other ’’norm’’)
Criterion referenced assessment
• Assessment of a student’s performance against
a goal, a specific objectives, or standards.
The Purpose of Measurement and Evaluation
• Placement of student, which involves bringing
students appropriately in the learning sequence
and classification or streaming of students
according to ability or subjects.
• Selecting the students for courses – general,
professional, technical, commercial etc.
• Certification: This helps to certify that a student
has achieved a particular level of performance.
•
Conti…….
• Stimulating learning: this can be motivation of
the student or teacher, providing feedback,
suggesting suitable practice etc.
• Improving teaching: by helping to review the
effectiveness of teaching arrangements.
• For research purposes.
• For guidance and counseling services.
• For modification of the curriculum purposes.
• For the purpose of selecting students for
employment
Conti…….
• For modification of teaching methods.
• For the purposes of promotions to the student.
• For reporting students progress to their
parents.
• For the awards of scholarship and merit
awards.
• For the admission of students into
educational institutions.
• For the continuation of students
End Of Chapter One
