Assessment is the process of gathering data to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of student learning. Assessment is made of different forms, and they include the following;
- Exercises
- Tests
- Promotional exams
- Home works
- Group discussions
- Assignments
Types of assessment
- Summative
- Formative
- Continuous assessment
- Administered after a time
- Administered while teaching
Assessment has immense benefits on both students and teachers, and this way, it contributes to the maximal academic development of students.
TO STUDENTS
1. Improves learners performance
Through assessment students get to know their strengths and weaknesses, and how to improve them, which in turn leads to a reasonable academic improvement.
This, however, doesn’t mean that assessment is a one-time thing. It has to be done on a regular basis because;
- Students respond to different topics differently, so it’s possible that they are strong in some and weak in others
- Some students can’t maintain a good academic performance, so they need to always be assessed to maintain that
- It helps students get used to preparing for assessment, and in the end, they’re not afraid od being assessed
When learners are assessed, they become better and better with time.
2. Improves learners’ confidence
The more your learners are tested and assessed, they become confident. This is because of the following reasons;
- They get used to tests, so fear is no longer the cause of their failure
- Good performance makes them more confident about themselves
There are some students with a certain confidence that can’t be shaken even by their failure, and that’s even more dangerous.
3. Helps the learners to master the content
There are many kinds of students who learn more when they are asked and have to answer questions in a test-like manner. This means they’ll always stand a better chance to master what they’ve been taught before.
This isn’t because they’ll get everything right. Instead, it’s even more common when students fail on their first attempt, and then make correction.
4. Instills reading culture
Students always have to prepare for the examinations and assessments because they all want to perform well and have impressive results – let alone impress their teachers.
This, therefore, instills a reading culture in them, that even when assessment is not around the corner, they are still putting in the work.
TO TEACHERS
5. Acts as basis to promote learners
If teachers only promoted learners based on an unproven assumption that they grasped everything they were taught, we’d have lots of bad students. This makes assessment even more important, because it reveals things like;
- How much the students have been able to grasp during their learning year
- Whether students are capable of applying their knowledge
- The difference between their natural capacitation and their attitude towards learning
- How or whether the students are able to work well in groups
If teachers don’t know things like these, but just go ahead to promote their learners on unfounded assumptions, it then puts even the students in a tough position.
6. Provides teachers a starting point with guidance and counseling
Students have to be guided, of course, but where and how to guide them is the most important question, and that can only be answered when you test them and find out more about them.
7. Measures the effectiveness of their teaching methods
Every teacher has different teaching methods that they usually prefer, but this doesn’t mean they cant make changes. To do that, they need to find out by assessing their students. Here are some changes they can make for the better;
- Resorting to other teaching methods
- Refining and polishing their teaching methods
- Asking their students for ideas on how they can improve
8. Helps a teacher to choose suitable learning aids
Students sometimes learn under different circumstances. Some even want different teaching aids. However, you can’t go around gathering a private teaching aid for each student.
All you have to do is find out what works best for the majority and implement that.
9. Helps a teacher sort learners who need remedial lessons
There are so many learners that just won’t learn in the general classes. All they need is to have extra remedial classes where you’ll give them the attention they deserve.
This sometimes will jumpstart them s to catch up with the others. But mainly, it helps students understand what others understood with ease.
10. To provide basis for improving academic performances
Before you understand how your students are coping with what you teach them, there’s no way you can help them improve. This is why tests are necessary so that you can find;
- Their strengths
- Weaknesses
- What they love and hate
- Where they can improve faster if effort is applied
By carefully analyzing their results, you can easily devise means to help them without making them feel uncomfortable with it, so they can have optimal academic performance.
Conclusion;
Of course, every school uses tests and exams to gauge how much their students know or don’t know. However, many teachers don’t follow up or look at every student individually, and this limits their ability to help these students cope with their academic requirements.