Assessments can have different purposes – Diagnostic, Formative or Summative. We have also seen that assessments can be in different formats and different levels on Blooms’ Taxonomy. Also, an Assessment is not ‘good’ or ‘bad’ based on a higher or lower level of Bloom’s but only based on alignment with the Learning Objective.
A good assessment is supposed to show what we have truly learned. There are three qualities of good assessments. Educators should ensure these qualities are met before assessing students. They are:
- Flexibility
- Validity
- Insightfulness
Flexibility
- Assessments should be based on learning goals and needs.
- Students should have flexibility to use either fixed-format or computer-adaptive assessment.
- For students, to engage in an assessment experience that accurately reflects their understanding by utilizing adaptive technology
- In purpose, with the capability to either evaluate a student’s individual growth or compare against national standards.
Validity
- Assessments should produce data that accurately reflects what an educator is looking to test i.e. aligned to Learning Objective.
- Each question should measure the skill or standard to which it correlates.
- Assessments should be backed by research and experts, and is the result of rigorous evaluation.
Insightfulness
- Student assessment data should be actionable and empowers educators to become more effective
- That opens new doors to understanding students, in their learning styles, pace, unique skills, and needs
- That can be used to inform instruction, pedagogy, and further assessment
- That is accessible to all stakeholders, including parents and students
