In the evolving landscape of education, Assessment Of Learning stands as a cornerstone for gauging student progress and the effectiveness of educational strategies. Assessments are integral to modern teaching practices, data analysis, and informed decision-making aimed at enhancing learning outcomes. Within this domain, understanding the distinct roles of “assessment of learning” and its counterpart, “assessment for learning,” is crucial for educators striving to optimize their instructional impact.
Understanding Assessment of Learning
Assessment of learning is typically employed at the culmination of a learning period, such as a unit, course, or academic term. Its primary function is to evaluate a student’s overall comprehension and mastery of the material. This type of assessment benchmarks student achievement against established standards, whether those are classroom-based, district-wide, or national norms, as highlighted by the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University.
A prime example of assessment of learning is benchmark assessments. These standardized evaluations are often administered periodically—such as three times a year for universal screening—to provide a snapshot of student performance against predefined benchmarks. These assessments serve to categorize student achievement levels and identify areas of strength and weakness relative to broader academic expectations.
Contrasting with Assessment for Learning
In contrast, assessment for learning (sometimes also referred to as assessment as learning) is embedded within the teaching and learning process itself. It focuses on continuously monitoring student understanding of specific skills or lesson content during instruction.
According to the Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon, this formative approach provides educators with timely feedback, enabling them to:
- Proactively identify students who may be struggling.
- Make immediate adjustments to teaching methods and materials.
- Track student progress in real-time.
Frequent progress monitoring exemplifies assessment for learning. By regularly assessing student performance between benchmark assessments, educators can determine if current instructional strategies and interventions are effectively promoting student achievement or if modifications are needed to enhance learning.
The Synergistic Power of Combining Assessment Types
Both assessment of learning and assessment for learning are valuable components of a robust instructional framework. When strategically balanced and implemented, they contribute to a comprehensive assessment strategy that offers a holistic view of student development. Such an approach clarifies:
- How students are progressing in acquiring essential foundational skills and knowledge.
- Where students stand in relation to learning standards and end-of-year academic goals.
Catherine Garrison and Michael Ehringhaus, PhD, in their work Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom, emphasize that the more data educators gather about student learning as it unfolds, the better equipped they are to refine instruction and tailor interventions. This data-driven approach ensures that every student can continuously advance in their educational journey.
Data-Driven Assessment: A Catalyst for Student Success
As Lockwood and McLean aptly state in Why We Assess Students — And How: The Competing Measures of Student Performance, “If assessment is to be a positive force in education, it must be implemented properly. It cannot be used to merely sort students or to criticize education. Its goals must be to improve education. Rather than ‘teach to the test,’ we must ‘test what we teach.'”
When considering how assessment of learning and assessment for learning impact teaching effectiveness and student development, it’s essential to evaluate whether you are utilizing the most appropriate assessments and tools, especially technology-driven solutions.
Asking critical questions about your assessment methods can reveal whether you are effectively leveraging data to inform instructional decisions and drive meaningful student progress through reliable and easily interpretable data.
A data-driven assessment framework enhances student success by empowering educators to:
- Detect specific student needs early in the learning process.
- Adapt instructional strategies and set targeted goals to address learning gaps.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and teaching techniques.
- Monitor student progress systematically.
- Report on responsiveness to interventions accurately.
- Predict student performance on key academic indicators.
By establishing an integrated assessment for and assessment of learning process, educational institutions can significantly improve learning outcomes and facilitate substantial academic growth for all students.
Resources:
1 Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. “What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?” Accessed May 3, 2017. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html.
2 Ehringhaus, Michael Ph. D., Garrison, Catherine. NYC Department of Education. “Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom.” Accessed May 4, 2017.
3 Lockwood, Robert E., McLean, James E. “Why We Assess Students — And How: The Competing Measures of Student Performance.” Accessed May 4, 2017. https://books.google.com/books/about/Why_We_Assess_Students_And_How.html?id=WFGdAAAAMAAJ.
