Types of Achievement Tests
(a) Summative Evaluation:
Testing is done at the end of the instructional unit. The test score is seen as the summation of all knowledge learned during a particular subject unit.
(b) Formative Evaluation: Testing occurs constantly with learning so that teachers can evaluate the effectiveness of teaching methods along with the assessment of students’ abilities.
Advantages of Achievement Tests
• One of the main advantages of testing is that it is able to provide assessments that are psychometrically valid and reliable, as well as results that are generalized and replicable.
• Another advantage is aggregation. A well-designed test provides an assessment of an individual’s mastery of a domain of knowledge or skill that, at some level of aggregation, will provide useful information. That is, while individual assessments may not be accurate enough for practical purposes, the mean scores of classes, schools, branches of a company, or other groups may well provide useful information because of the reduction of error accomplished by increasing the sample size.
Read: The role of classroom assessment in teaching
Purpose of Achievement Tests
Achievement tests are widely used throughout education as a method of assessing and comparing student performance. Achievement tests may assess any or all of reading, math, and written language, as well as subject areas such as science and social studies.
These tests are available to assess all grade levels through adulthood. The test procedures are highly structured so that the testing process is the same for all students who take them. It is developed to measure skills and knowledge learned at a given grade level, usually through planned instruction, such as training or classroom instruction. Achievement tests are often contrasted with tests that measure aptitude, a more general and stable cognitive trait.
Read this: Top qualities and skills of a good teacher.
Achievement test scores are often used in an educational system to determine the level of instruction for which a student is prepared. High achievement scores usually indicate mastery of grade-level material and readiness for advanced instruction. Low achievement scores can indicate the need for remediation or repeating a course. Teachers evaluate students by: observing them in the classroom, evaluating their day’s class work, grading their homework assignments, and administering unit tests.
These classroom assessments show the teacher how well a student is mastering grade level learning goals and provide information that can be used to improve instruction. Overall, the testing serves the following purposes:
• Assess level of competence
• Diagnose strengths and weaknesses
• Assign Grades
• Achieve Certification or Promotion
• Advanced Placement/College Credit Exams
• Curriculum Evaluation
• Accountability;
• Informational Purposes
