Chapter 2- Why and What of

Assessment
Why do Teachers Assess Students?
In general, teachers’ assessment provide two types of
information. Information that allows teachers to
Describe things, whereas the other allows them to
begin to offer Explanations for what they describe.
Alfred Binet (1857-1911)

1. If students score POORLY on my test and FAIL in school, they are

failing because they lack the intellectual capacity to succeed in
school.
2. If students score WELL on my test and Fail in school, they are failing
because they lack the motivation to succeed in school.
Why is this student unmotivated?
One theoretical framework, referred to as Expectancy-Value Theory
(Feather, 1982), suggests there are two hypotheses worth
investigating:

1. The lack of motivation stems from students’ belief that education

has no value, and, hence, doing well in school is unimportant.
2. The lack of motivation stems from students’ belief that they cannot
succeed in school no matter how hard they try.
To determine the reasonableness of each hypotheses, teachers must
assess
a. The value that students attach to doing well in school, and
b. The belief they hold about their ability to be successful in school.
What are the different type of motivational
problems shown in the figure?
“Cell B” problems must be solved by finding ways to increase the value
students attach to schooling or, perhaps, using incentives or rewards to
replace the lack of value they attach to schooling with things they do in
fact value.

“Cell C” problems, in contrast, we must find ways of convincing

students they can be successful in school. A huge part of this
convincing, of course, requires students to experience real success.
What do Teachers Assess?
1. Achievement (what students accomplish)
2. Effort ( the extent to which they are involved in
classroom activities and assignment)
3. Classroom Behavior (how well students comply
with the stated rules and classroom routines)
Achievement
In assessing achievement teachers need to decide what is and
is not important. To make this determination, teachers need
to state the objectives and communicate this objectives to
their students.
What is an objective?
In simplest terms, an objective is a statement of what we, as
teachers, intent (hope, want, or expect) our students to learn
as a result of the instruction we provide to our students
(Anderson, 1994).
An instructional objective is a clear and concise
statement of the skill or skills that your students
will be expected to perform after a unit of
instruction (Kubiszyn and Borich, 2003 p.78)
Determine which of the following examples represent learning
objective, then write O or learning activities then write A.
1. By the end of the semester the child will identify pictures of words
that sound alike.
2. The child will demonstrate an appreciation of poetry.
3. The student will subtract one-digit numbers with 80% accuracy.
4. Practice multiplication tables.
5. Listen to a foreign language tape.
6. Memorize the names of the presidents of the Philippines.

Answer: 1)O 2)O 3)O 4)A 5)A 6)A

The Mager Format of Behavioral Objective
In 1962, Robert Mager wrote a little book titled
Preparing Instructional Objectives that set off a debate
over the most desirable “form of a usefully stated
objective”(p.i). Mager format became known as
behavioral objectives.
Student Behaviour. What the student will be doing or
the kinds of behavior the teacher will accept as
evidence that the objective has been achieved.
Testing Situation. The condition under which the
behavior will be observed or expected to occur.
Performance Criteria. The standard or performance
level defined as acceptable.
Example
•Given a sentence, students can identify the
nouns and mark at least 85 percent correct.
Given a sentence, students can identify the
nouns and mark at least 85 percent correct.
Given a sentence – the testing situation.

identify the nouns - student behavior

mark at least 85 percent correct- performance criteria

Gronlund (2005) and Gronlund and Bookhart
(2009), for example, illustrated how objectives
can be written first in more general terms, with
appropriate specifics added later for clarification.
Gronlund, unlike the strict behaviorists is more
willing to use words such as Appreciate,
understand, value, or enjoy.
Example
Overall objective: Understand and appreciates the diversity of
the people who make up Philippine Society
Subobjective 1. Can define diversity in the words of other and
in his or her own words.
Subobjective 2. Can give instances of how diverse persons or
groups have enriched the cultural life of Filipinos.
Subobjective 3. Can analyze in writing how maintaining
appreciation for diversity is a fragile and difficult goal to
achieve.
 Using the Framework to Assess Student’s
Achievement
One method of categorizing objectives according to cognitive
complexity was devised by Bloom, Englehart, Hill, Furst, and
Krathwohl (1956). It is a taxonomy of educational objectives
for the cognitive domain and delineates six levels of cognitive
complexity ranging from knowledge level (simplest) to the
evaluation level (most complex).
Adapted: Kubiszyn and Borich (2013)
Knowledge
Objectives at the knowledge level require the students to remember.
Test items ask the students to recall or recognize facts, terminology,
problem-solving strategies, or rules. Some Verbs that describe learning
outcomes at the knowledge level are the following:
Some Verbs that describe learning outcomes
at the knowledge level are the following:
Define List Recall
Describe match recite
Identify name select
Label outline state
Example objectives:

The student will recall the four major food groups without error.

The student will match each U.S general with his famous battle with
80% accuracy.
Comprehension
Objectives at the comprehension level require some level of
understanding. Test items require the student to change the form of a
communication (translation), to restate what has been read, to see
connections or relationships among parts of a communication
(interpretation), or to draw conclusions or consequences from
information (inference).
Some verbs that describe learning outcomes
at the comprehension level are:
Convert explain Infer
Defend extend paraphrase
Discriminate estimate predict
Distinguish generalize summarize
Example objectives:

The student will summarize the main events of a story in grammatically

correct English.

The student will discriminate between problem solving and problem

posing examples from the readings.
Application
Objectives written at the application level require the students to use
previously acquired information in a setting other than that in which it
was learned.
Some verbs that describe the learning
outcomes at the application level are:
Change modify relate
Compute operate solve
Demonstrate organize transfer
Develop prepare use
Employ produce
Example of objectives:

Given the fraction not covered in class, the student will multiply them
on paper with 80% accuracy.
Analysis
Objectives written at the analysis level require the student to identify
logical errors (e.g., point out contradiction or an erroneous inference)
or to differentiate among facts, opinions, assumptions, hypothesis, or
conclusion.
Some verbs describe learning outcomes at
the analysis level are:
Break down distinguish point out
Deduce illustrate relate
Diagram infer separate out
Differentiate outline subdivide
Example of objectives:

Given the state of the nation address (SONA), the student will be able
to point out the position that attack an individual rather than his or her
program.
Synthesis
Objectives written at this level require the student to produce
something unique or original. Some verbs that describe the learning
outcomes at the synthesis level are the following:

Categorize create formulate

Compile design rewrite
Compose devise summarize
Example of objectives:

Given a situation, the student will formulate a problem that can be

solved mathematically.
Evaluation
Instructional objectives written at the evaluation level require
the student to form judgements about the value or worth of
methods, ideas, people, or products that have a specific
purpose.
Some verbs that describe learning outcomes
at the evaluation level are:
Appreciate criticize interpret
Compare defend support
Contrast justify validate
Conclude
Example of objective:

Given the description of the country’s economic system, the student

will defend it, basing arguments on principles of democracy, described
in the text.
 Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) prepared an updated version
of the Bloom et al. (1956) taxonomy of from a cognitive
learning perspective that helps teachers identify and assess
not only the outcomes they describe but the thinking process
their students must use to achieve those outcomes.
T K Cognitive Processes
y n
Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create
p o
e w
s Factual
l
e
Conceptual
o d
f g
Procedural
e
Metacognitive
Cognitive Process Dimension
Example of Objectives using the revised
Bloom’s Taxonomy
The student will learn to use the reduce-
reuse-recycle approach to conservation
The student will learn- throw away phrase
Verb [use] – Cognitive Process Dimension
Noun [reduce-reuse-recycle approach] – Knowledge Dimension
Apply Procedural Knowledge
Evaluate commercials from the standpoint of a set
of principles.
Kubiszyn, T., & Borich, G. D. (2013). Educational testing and
measurement. Scott, Foresman.

McTighe, J., & Ferrara, S. (1994). Performance-based assessment in the

classroom. Pennsylvania Educational Leadership, 4-16.