Assessment of Learning LET REVIEWER
Professional Education Lesson 35:
Purposes of Assessment
Assessment in the classroom do more than just
“give grades.” They can help teachers plan instruction, support students while
they are learning, and involve students in monitoring their own progress. The
three big ideas you need to learn are Assessment FOR Learning, Assessment
OF Learning, and Assessment AS Learning, each with a clear
purpose and timing in the teaching and learning process.
Three Types of Assessment
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- Assessment
FOR Learning – helps learning while it is happening,
so teachers can adjust teaching and students can improve before final
grades.
- Assessment
OF Learning – judges what students have learned at the
end of a unit or course, often used for grades and
reporting.
- Assessment
AS Learning – helps students use assessment to monitor
and direct their own learning, becoming more independent.
Think of them as answering three different questions:
- FOR
learning: “How can we help you learn better right now?”
- OF
learning: “How much have you already learned?”
- AS
learning: “What are you doing to understand and
improve your learning?”
Assessment FOR Learning
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Assessment FOR Learning is mainly about supporting
learning. It is used before and during teaching
to find out what students already know, what they are ready to learn next, and
how well they are understanding the lesson. The goal is to improve
learning while there is still time to help.
Assessment FOR Learning includes three related types and you may call it as "PDF":
- Placement
assessment
- Diagnostic
assessment
- Formative
assessment
Placement Assessment
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A placement assessment is done prior
to or BEFORE instruction. Its main purpose is to find the right
starting point for teaching. It helps the teacher understand
students’ current level, so the lesson is not too easy or too
difficult.
Placement assessment:
- Assesses
the needs of the learners before teaching starts.
- Gives
the teacher a basis for planning relevant instruction.
- Places
students into specific learning groups (for example, advanced, on‑level,
or needing extra support) to make teaching and learning more efficient.
Examples:
- A
short pre‑test at the beginning of a unit to see what students already
know.
- A
reading level test to group students for reading activities.
- A
basic skills check in math before starting algebra.
Remember this:
- Done before teaching
a new unit or course.
- Used
to match instruction to student readiness.
- Results
are used to form groups or levels, not to give final grades.
Diagnostic Assessment
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A diagnostic assessment is also done BEFORE
or at the early stage of instruction, especially when a student is struggling.
It digs deeper than a simple placement test to find out exactly
what the difficulty is.
Diagnostic assessment:
- Is
used to find out what students already know and do
not know yet about a topic.
- Identifies recurring
or persistent difficulties (problems that keep happening).
- Searches
for underlying causes of learning problems that do not
respond to “first aid” methods such as simple review or extra
practice.
- Helps
the teacher formulate a plan for detailed
remedial instruction.
Examples:
- A set
of focused questions to find which part of fraction operations a student
does not understand (e.g., common denominators, borrowing, etc.).
- A
reading diagnostic to see whether a student’s difficulty comes from
vocabulary, decoding, or comprehension.
- Error
analysis of written work to identify specific misconceptions.
Remember this:
- Used
when students struggle and simple review is not enough.
- Looks
for the specific reason behind the difficulty.
- Guides
planning of targeted remediation or intervention.
Formative Assessment
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A formative assessment is done DURING
instruction, while teaching and learning are ongoing. Its central purpose
is to ensure that learning is taking place, not just to record
scores.
Formative assessment:
- Provides
the teacher with information about how well the learning
objectives are being met during a lesson or unit.
- Allows
teachers to monitor student learning and get ongoing
feedback.
- Helps
teachers improve their teaching (for example, by re‑explaining
a concept or adjusting activities).
- Helps
students improve their learning, because they see what they
already understand and what needs more work.
- The
results are communicated clearly and promptly to
students, so they can know their strengths, weaknesses, and
progress.
Examples:
- Quick
quizzes or exit tickets at the end of a lesson.
- Asking
students to hold up response cards or use mini whiteboards.
- Peer
or self‑checking of exercises with immediate feedback.
- Observing
group work and giving on‑the‑spot comments.
- Draft
submissions with feedback before the final version.
Remember this:
- Done during learning,
often many times.
- Focuses
on feedback and improvement, not just scores.
- Results
are shared quickly so students can act on them.
Assessment OF Learning
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Assessment OF Learning is what most people think of when they hear “tests” and “grades.” It is usually summative and is done AFTER instruction to see what students have learned by the end of a defined period.
Summative Assessment
“What Have You Learned at the
End?”
A summative assessment is carried out after
a unit, term, quarter, semester or course. Its purpose is to evaluate student
learning at the end of a defined instructional period.
Summative assessment:
- Shows
whether instruction has successfully achieved the curriculum
outcomes.
- Provides
evidence of what students can do after teaching is completed.
- The results
become the basis for grades, which are communicated to students,
parents, and other stakeholders for decision‑making (promotion,
awards, remediation, etc.).
- At a
larger scale, patterns from summative assessment results can become
a powerful factor for educational reforms (curriculum
changes, teacher training needs, resource allocation).
Examples:
- End‑of‑unit
tests, periodical test, and final exams.
- Standardized
achievement tests.
- Term
projects or final performances that count heavily toward the grade.
- Final
grades in a subject.
Remember this:
- Done after instruction
is completed.
- Used
to judge the level of learning achieved.
- Often high
stakes and used for grades and reporting.
- Can
inform policy and curriculum decisions.
Assessment AS Learning
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Assessment AS Learning focuses on students
as active agents in the assessment process. Here, assessment is not
just something done to students, but something done by students
to understand and regulate their own learning.
Assessment AS Learning:
- Involves
students assessing their own work and sometimes the work
of their peers, often using scoring rubrics or checklists.
- Encourages
students to set their own learning targets, monitor their
progress, and evaluate their own learning in relation to
those targets.
- Helps
students become self‑directed and independent learners,
developing skills like reflection, self‑monitoring, and goal‑setting.
- Makes
students more aware of what quality work looks like and
what they need to do to reach it.
Examples:
- Students
using a rubric to score their own written work before submitting it.
- Learners
writing reflection logs about what they learned and what they still find
difficult.
- Peer
assessment of presentations using agreed‑upon criteria.
- Students
setting a specific goal (“I will improve my introduction paragraph”) and
checking at the end whether they met it.
Remember this:
- Students actively
participate in assessment.
- Emphasizes self‑assessment
and peer assessment.
- Builds metacognition (thinking
about one’s own thinking).
- Aims
to develop independent, self‑regulated learners.
Comparison of Assessment TYPES: FOR, OF, and AS Learning
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- When? Before and during instruction (placement, diagnostic, formative).
- Main purpose? To improve learning and teaching while there is still time to act.
- Who uses the results? Mainly teachers and students for feedback and adjustment.
- When? After instruction (summative).
- Main purpose? To certify or report what has been learned; to give grades.
- Who uses the results? Students, parents, school leaders, and other stakeholders.
- When? During learning, especially as students engage in tasks and reflection.
- Main purpose? To help students monitor and direct their own learning.
- Who uses the results? Students themselves, often with teacher guidance.
