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The terms measurement and evaluation represent concepts that are often used by educational workers while studying
children and also while studying individual differences involving academic
achievement and aptitude, special abilities, emotional and social adjustment,
as well as physical strength and skill.
Measurement
involves the gathering of the descriptive date that can be related to an
appropriate standard of the norm.
Evaluation,
on the other hand, consists of much more than mere collection and recording of
data and is more comprehensive than measurement. It includes an informal and
intuitive judgement about pupils progress as well as the act of
"valuing" which means expressing what kind of behaviour is desirable
and good. Thorndike and Hagen (1955) are for the opinion that good measurement
techniques provide a solid foundation for sound evaluation.
Evaluation
and measurement are not the same, although evaluation involves measurement.
Example, if we assess students' knowledge and understanding in a subject by
means of an essay of objective type of test, which is measurement. If on the
other hand the teacher puts a value on the students work, example talents,
attitudes and other characteristics of behaviour, that is evaluation.
Evaluation should in part involve testing that is non-subjective on the part of
the teacher; otherwise, it is likely to be erratic and not reliable.
The purpose of Evaluation
Evaluation,
like assessment, has many purposes. It can be used in the following ways:
1. Evaluation as basis for school marks or
grades: The educational system requires that teachers occasionally submit marks
or grades for students. These marks or grades can be arrived at through formal
examinations, regular tests, assignments, laboratory work, observational data
or a combination of these.
2. Evaluation as means of informing parents: Students'
parents want and have the right to know how their children are progressing in
school. Student evaluation is the most important way of providing them with
this information.
3. Evaluation for promotion to higher grades: Students'
evaluation is sometimes used to determine whether a student has made enough
progress to be in the next grade or class in the school.
4. Evaluation for Student Motivation: Success in
the test and examinations as well as other school activities can give great
encouragement to students. Similarly, failure to do well can make students work
harder or strive to do better. Teachers should try to give their students
feedback on the evaluation of all aspects of their learning and behaviour so
that both those who do well and those who do not do well be motivated to
improve on their performance.
5. Evaluation for guidance and counselling
purposes: All students need to be advised to help them solve
their own personal problems, whether academic or emotional. So evaluation is
needed in this direction.
6. Evaluation to assess the effectiveness of
teaching: If the teacher does not in some way assess the
students' knowledge and skills, she/he will not be able to evaluate the success
of her/his teaching. For example, a high failure rate in a subject is more
often due to poor teaching than to the lack of intelligence of the students.
7. Evaluation for employment purpose: Not all
students who pass grade nine and twelve examinations, for instance, will
proceed to Universities and Colleges. Some students may decide to join a
company or business. Employers normally require information on potential
employees with reference to academic ability, attitude to work, moral
character, personality and so on.
8. Evaluation for University and College
entrance: University and Colleges often require evaluation
reports from schools upon receiving applications.
Evaluation components
For the
organised teacher who has been teaching for a number of years and has worked
well with planned lessons and clearly stated behavioural objectives, the
question of obtaining data in the case of what to evaluate is not too difficult
to answer. However, from experience even such teachers have problems.
The
national objectives of Zambia clearly stated in the Educating our Future, the
national policy on education (1996) maintain that attitudes, values, physical
skills and abilities and cognitive skills are important for students. The
teacher should take all areas of students' progress into account.
Evaluation techniques
The
different methods of evaluating students can be classified under three main
areas:
1.
Teacher made tests
and exercises
2.
Other evaluation
devices
3.
Continuous
evaluation or assessment
One way of
obtaining data in the case of pupils is to use tests and examinations. Such
measurements permit comparison of the performance of children and groups in
terms of numerical scores. Tests and examinations also indicate the degree to
which an education programme is succeeding.
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