Marco Bello C.

Hernal UPOU PTC

ID no. 2018-30688 EDUC 113 - Principles and Methods of
Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of education. This evaluates and measures progress, readiness
and other similar attributes in a learner to determine if the goals of education has been met. It can
also provide a basis for teaching and assessing subsequent learners, as well as a guide for
educators to improve and further their capabilities as professionals.
I did understand back in elementary that I need to pass the subjects in order to move up the
education ladder. Not as comprehensive, reasonable and logical as today, but there’s the thought
that if I fail the test, I might get left behind by friends. As we got older, we began to see that
education plays a key factor in one’s life, personal success and future. Later on, we started
comprehending our parents’ words and build our own views of the future, hence understand that
we have to have good education to achieve all that. Up until now, we regard education as that
one treasure that we can pass on to future generations which cannot taken by anyone, except
Alzheimer’s, of course.
We humans have goals. We work hard to achieve them. An essential step in achieving our goals
is to learn, be educated. By becoming educated we understand the world. Once we understand
the world, we would know how to make use of it. When we know how to utilize it fully and properly
it can contribute to us having a good life. People who perceive that they have a good life share
more and contribute and pass the good to others.
But how do we know that we know the world? Elementary. If we are able to thrive in our
environment then perhaps we know enough. When we ask someone for directions to the bank,
market or anywhere for that matter, isn’t it that the best way to know if we understood the
directions is that if we get there? That’s an assessment. Medical professionals go to conventions
and discuss their medical cases and management, so that others can review their performance
for correctness and value to the profession. Same goes with scientists. When they take on new
experiments, the call on peers to assess their processes so that they can come up with pure
results.
The goals of primary education are fundamental. Develop communication, numeracy, literacy and
critical thinking skills. I think these skills are what we basically need in order to thrive in our
environment and in the society.
It is worthwhile to mention that when claiming something we should have evidence to substantiate
the claim. It would be easy to do this process if it were just to determine the truth value of a
physical phenomenon, take for instance, night and day. Knowing whether it is night or day time is
a neutral topic. Nothing much can be done about it but to adapt.
Take a student on the other hand. Imagine we say that he/she finished school and left it at that,
without evidence of learning. Future success might be a little hard for this individual. There is the
possibility of a hard life later on, personal and social failures. In cinematic terms, “he’s doomed”,
and for other reasons may become a liability to the family and the community. Awful.
That is why assessment is a very essential and critical aspect of education. We need to know and
make sure that our students learn and that the goals of education are achieved. I have learned
various definitions of the concept of assessment and how it relates to the different terminologies
surrounding it.
I also learned about the basic principles of assessment, its characteristics, uses and benefits not
only for students, but also for the teaching profession as well as educational institutions.
For students, a good assessment can mean the difference between success and failure later in
life. If educators will employ meaningful and principled methods, they swing more to the side of
achieving the goals of educating the youth, making sure that students get the useful information,
test them and finally, use that knowledge in their day to day lives. This knowledge could be
reflected in the individual’s state of affairs at present, more so in the future.
Educators and other school professionals and staff similarly gain a great deal from good
assessment processes. They can map out the progress of their teaching strategies, improve the
delivery of education and make optimum use of their time providing their respective services.
They will be able to develop and share basis for the enhancement of learning and operational
outcomes to other teaching and other related professionals as well. Collectively, a remarkable
improvement in the profession and education system can be achieved as an end.
For the education institutions, good assessment processes means better delivery of services to
the learning community. Colleges can modify and improve their curriculum based on the results
of assessment and can provide evidence-based strategies in the delivery of education to its
students.
In conclusion, I think assessment is a cornerstone in the foundation of education. One can only
gain much knowledge, but the true test of knowledge is in its application, value and ultimately its
contribution to the society; which can only be ensured through meaningful and principled
assessment.