Teaching is a big responsibility consisting of imparting knowledge to one’s students and making sure that students do learn and understand. A teacher must also be able to adapt to the learning styles and capabilities of his or her students while still firmly maintaining the standards of education. Through learning assessments, teachers must constantly be aware of their students’ progress and learning impediments, if there are any.Hibbard described performance assessments as strategies used in determining how students apply their own and learned knowledge, skills, and work habits to assigned tasks (cited in Brualdi, 1998).
Assessments are interpretations of students’ learning progress that will eventually lead to teachers finding novel ways of teaching to further engage students and help them learn better (Government of Saskatchewan, n. d. ). Effective assessments must be reliable, valid, and fair.Reliability ensures that scores from assessment tests remain consistent when used by different administrators, while validity means that there are theories and evidences supporting the interpretations of the test scores (California Department of Education, 2004). Both ensure that assessment tests are not mere subjective exams, but rather that they are grounded on basic principles along with standards of education.
Reliability is also affected by measurement error.Tests should also be fair. It must measure the same level of knowledge for all students regardless of gender, race and religion. Further, tests should not misjudge or expect certain estimates regarding the students’ knowledge (California Department of Education, 2004). Learning assessments are important in providing information regarding students’ learning progress and effectiveness of teachers’ teaching methods.
They highlight the areas of learning’s strengths and weaknesses.Assessments shed light on school policy and practices and are also indicators of the entire education sector’s public accountability (Government of Saskatchewan, n. d. ). Some teachers might fear or dislike assessing their students for personal reasons.
However the benefits of assessment are all very valid and strong. Moreover, student assessments are not limited to the students alone. Everyone in the education sector contributes and consequently is affected by test scores. The results might turn up low or negative, but in all cases, assessments represent room for growth and improvement.
