Overview

So far in this module, we've focused on the importance of developing learning objectives that define the purpose of your course and guide you in developing appropriate learning experiences for your learners. As noted previously, learning objectives also play a role in learner assessment. At points in the learning experience, assessments are needed to determine whether or not learners are able to achieve or master the learning objectives.

In general, we design two types of assessments:

Formative assessment measures student learning during the the learning process,
Summative assessment measures learning that occurs at the end of the learning experience.

Below is a list of assessment considerations from the WGBH Educational Foundations, The Guiding Principles of Assessment:

Assessments measure students' attainment of learning outcomes.
Assessments measure the level of student success.
There should be a connection between the way students learn the material and the way they are tested on it.
Assessments should be varied.
Assessments include formal and informal evaluations.
Students should know the assessment plan at the beginning of a course.

Methods of Assessment

Both formative and summative assessments are designed to measure the skills and knowledge the learner has mastered during instruction. While quizzes or tests are often used to assess mastery, there are countless other assessment methods that could be equally (or more) effective for the given learner population, context, and learning objectives. It is important to keep in mind that the personas and needs of your learners, as well as the context and objectives, should influence which assessment method you design and develop. Varying the methods of assessment throughout a lesson or unit of instruction will help to support appropriate skill and knowledge assessment, and appeal to different learning and testing preferences of the learners. Beyond a quiz or test, other methods of assessment for adult basic education may include:

Source: Saskatchewan Advanced Education and Employment
Methods of Assessment	Assessment Description	Example Strategies
Performance Assessment	Learners are given a variety of tasks and situations where they can demonstrate understandings and apply knowledge, skills, and the Foundations of Science to a variety of contexts.	Design and conduct an experiment Demonstrate a skill or set of skills Design a classification or measurement system
Authentic Assessment	Assessments tie directly to the applications of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the real world.	Project-based instruction Simulate a workplace training experience
Holistic Assessment	Incorporates a wide range of assessment pieces to provide a total picture of the learner.	Portfolio Focus on Mind, Heart, Spirit, and Body Problem or project-based learning Invention

Your Evaluation Decisions

Think about the personas we reviewed within Module 1 and the lesson you chose to evaluate. Review the lesson plan and related instructional materials and reflect on the following:

What types of formative and summative assessment activities are incorporated into the lesson you are evaluating to measure the learners' attainment (or mastery) of the learning outcomes?
To what extent is the learner given the opportunity to display his / her new skill and knowledge improvement in appropriate assessments linked to the stated learning objectives?
What are ways that you can redesign the assessment(s) to better connect the way the material is learned and the way the learners are assessed?
How can you vary the assessments to include both formal and informal assessments?