Understanding the meaning of Test, Measurement Evaluation and Assessment.

This Notes fully based on your University Syllabus & same as your Book aslo.

This notes for Education Honours 3rd Semester, core paper V & Education GE Semester 4th / Paper - iV also. 

EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

UNIT 1: Assessment and Evaluation in Education

(i) Understanding the meaning and purpose of test, measurement, assessment and

evaluation

(ii) Scales of measurement- nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio

(iii) Types of test- teacher made and standardized

(iv)Approaches to evaluation- placement, formative, diagnostic and summative

(v) Types of evaluation- norm referenced and criterion referenced

(vi)Concept and nature of continuous and compressive evaluation

course start from here

            Man is curious by nature. Always he wants to discover the nature and the rules governing the nature. He is interested to know the things around him and himself. To satisfy his needs man started, to distinguish among objects like small and big, light and heavy, tall and dwarf etc. Through this process he started counting, which gave birth to numbers. This process of discovery we started measuring different objects. Gradually the process of quantification become an essential part of human life.

                            At present measurement has become an essential part of our daily life. From birth till death every aspect of our life is touched by measurement in one form or other. When a baby is born the physician record the time of birth. His weight and height is measured. As the baby grows, every aspect of his life become concerned to measurement. The knowledge of measurement is essential everywhere, starting from simple house hold work of a house wife till the complex minute calculations of the space research.

Measurement in education is a very complex phenomenon. Because educational measurement involves the mental processes of individual which can only be measured from behaviour. In normal classes the instructional decisions are guided by a number of observations. For example a teacher can know the learning difficulties of the students by asking questions. On the basis of which he can take remedial measures like total repeat of a chapter or using some learning aids or instructing for more practice to a student etc. These decisions are based upon pupils oral responses performances or from gesture and posture. All these are teachers moment to moment observation. Though these observations are informal and unsystematic still it plays an important role in the teaching learning process. Thus the instructional decisions greatly depends upon the effective evaluation process. The evaluation process starts from the testing and goes through the process of measurement and assessment. It comes to conclusion after decisions taken on the basis of evaluation. Let us discuss the terms Test, Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation one by one.

     

  TEST

            In the evaluation process quantitative assessment occupies an important position. for quantification of learner's achievement an effective tool is required. A test is an effective tool to assess the learner's achievement quantitatively. A test is an assessment intended to measure, a test taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics. It may be administered verbally, in paper, on a computer or in a confirmed area that requires a test taker to physically perform a set of skills.

The history of formal testing goes back to 605 CE. Ancient China was the first country that implemented a nation wide standardized testing during the reign of Sui Dynasty. In the India testing and assessment is known to have been used at least 1500 years ago. As mentioned in Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra' different methods of testing including observation, performance, appraised were in use for assessment of candidates for ministerial positions. But the modern testing in educational processes have came into practice in the middle nineteenth century during the British Rule in India.

MEANING OF TEST :

            A test may be called as a tool, a question, a set of questions, an examination which use to measure a particular characteristic of an individual or a group of individuals. It is something which provides information regarding individuals ability, knowledge, performance and achievement.

Definitions

C.V. Good : Dictionary of Education :

            A test is a group of questions or tasks to which a student is to respond, the purpose being to produce a quantitative representation of the pupil trait that it is designed to measure. 

Barrow and Mc. Gee :

            A test is a specific tool or procedure or a technique used to obtain response from the students in order to gain information which provides the basis to make judgement or evaluation regarding some characteristics such as fitness, skills, knowledge and values. 

NATURE OF TEST:

           Nature of the test can be summarised into following points. 

1. The test must accomplish with norms. 

2. The test must be reliable.

3. The test must be valid one.

4. It should include only important skills and abilities to be measured. 

5. It should discriminate among different ability groups throughout the total range of ability.

6. The test must be of proper difficulty level.

7. The test must be as specific as possible for whatever is being measured. 

8. The test produces results and its implications.

9. The test must be according to educational values. 

USES OF TEST

            Tests are not only for the testing purpose. It plays a major role in the evaluation process. 

1. Tests are used to identify what students have learned.

            After completion of a lesson or unit it is a major task to know what the students have learnt. It helps the teacher to analyze the results to see where the majority of the students are having problems.

2. To identify students strength and weaknesses.

            A teacher can identify the strength and weakness of a particular student by administering the test. Pre-test before beginning of a topic is a good example of this. 

3. Tests help to provide a method for awards and recognition.

            Tests are used to determine who will receive a particular award or recognition. The test conducted by NCERT for awarding NTS is an example of this. 

4. Tests are used to gain college credit.

            Advanced placement examinations provide students with opportunity to earn college credits after successfully completing a course and passing the examinations with high marks. The examinations conducted by different Indian Universities under CBCS course are example of this. 

5. Tests are used to provide a way to measure a teacher and the school.

            Now it has become a practice to use these test results to evaluate and give merit raises to the teachers themselves. This use of high stake and testing is often continuous with education since many factors can influence a student's grade on an examination.

6. Test results provide a basis for entry into an internship programme or institution. 

            Tests help administrators to select students for a particular course or institution. AIPMT and JEE are examples of these types of tests. Tests are also used to select persons for internship after completing courses like MBA, MBBS, B.Ed, ITI etc. 

MERITS OF TESTING

        Tests are not only administered to award grades, but it has also several other benefits in educational system.

1. Tests help to identify gaps in knowledge.

     Testing helps to identify what the students know and what they do not know. So that they can concentrate their effort on the areas where they have deficiency.

2. Tests help students to learn more from the next study sessions.

    Testing help to enhance learning during future study sessions. When students take a test and then restudy material, they learn more from the presentation than they would, if they restudied without taking a test

3. Testing produces better organisation of knowledge.

     Another benefit of testing is that it can improve conceptual organisation of practiced materials.

4. Testing improves transfer of knowledge to new contents.

     The benefits of taking a test are not limited to the specific questions or facts that were tested Testing practice improves transfer of knowledge to new contents means applying knowledge learned in one situation to solve another new problem.

5. Testing facilitate retrieval of material that was not tested.

     It not possible to test all the content material in one test. Therefore the instructor selects sample materials to include in a test. But the students retain both tested and non-tested materials or contents.

6. Testing improves metacognitive monitoring.

     Testing helps students in improvement of metacognitive accuracy relative to re studying. The students can accurately predict their future performance. Testing helps students to have better calibration of their knowledge.

7. Testing prevents interference of previously learned material in learning new material. 

      Proactive interference occurs when sets of materials are learned in succession; the previous material learned influences in a negative manner in the retention of new materials. But testing creates a release from proactive interference.

8. Testing helps instructors in providing feedback.

     Testing can provide valuable help to the teachers in providing feedback. Teachers can know what the students do and do not know so in turn they can encourage students to change their study behaviour.

9. Frequent testing develops students' study habit. 

     Frequency oral and written tests and assignments motivates the students to study. All of us know that there are many students who do not study until the examination knock at their door.

DEMERITS OF TESTING

1. Classroom testing may consume too much time so that other important class room activities like lecturers, discussion and demonstration may hamper.

2. Testing encourages rote learning. The students try to memorise materials superficially without understanding.

3. Testing may force the forgetting of non-tested materials. 

4. If not constructed with proper care the tests may provide erroneous results.

     In the next section I will give you about Measurement

Meaning of Measurement, Types of Measurement, Nature of Educational Measurement, Function of Measurement

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