Spring 1997
Vol 5 Issue 2
IN THIS ISSUE...
Learning . . . Something to Talk About
The Role/Relationship of Faculty Development in Learning
The Faculty Evaluation Plan = Lifelong Learning
A Garden: A Metaphor for Learning
Assessment and Evaluation: In Search of a Common Terminology
PBL in Mathematics . . . What a Concept!
Maricopa Learning Project: What's It All About?
What I Learned About Learning as a Learner
Did you know . . .
SEE ALSO...
The Labyrinth
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
Assessment and Evaluation: In Search of a Common Terminology
Andrea Greene, MCLI
Assessment and Evaluation as Part of Learning
Assessment and evaluation are integral parts of learning and the educational process. Assessment of student learning serves multiple purposes and audiences. Assessment provides information:
- to students and teachers about what students have learned;
- to teachers about strengths and areas for improvement in their instruction;
- to taxpayers and policymakers about the return on their investment, and so on.
Evaluation of programs and institutions allows us to make better-informed decisions about our overall effectiveness and how we should allocate resources. Unfortunately, much of the terminology associated with assessment and evaluation is poorly defined and confusing; in fact, there is little agreement in the literature about the terminology. Misunderstandings about the meaning of words can result in miscommunication and impede progress in planning and implementing viable assessment and evaluation processes. Therefore, common terminology is needed so that we can engage in productive dialogue about these topics within Maricopa.
Some Background on the Terminology
Some writers and experts in the field use the terms assessment and evaluation interchangeably. Others consider assessment to be a subset of evaluation, with assessment providing the measurement data to be used in making evaluative judgments. In the past several years, North Central Association of Colleges (NCA) has placed increasing emphasis on student assessment as part of the accreditation process. In the Revision of Criteria Three and Four, Handbook of Accreditation (working draft, March 1, 1996) the commission states: "assessing student academic achievement is an essential component of evaluating overall institutional effectiveness" [emphasis added]. It is clear from this statement that, in NCA's view, assessing student learning is a subset of evaluating the effectiveness of programs and institutions as a whole.
There is also confusion about many of the terms that provide the conceptual underpinnings for assessment and evaluation activities, terms like objectives and outcomes. In order to assess student learning or evaluate an educational program, approach, or system, there must be stated purposes against which to assess or evaluate -- statements of desired goals, objectives, or outcomes.
Much of the terminology has its roots in the "competency-based instruction" (CBI) movement that began in the early 1970's. CBI is based on learning theory and research. Its principles are quite simple: the desired learning (objectives or competencies) should be stated by the teacher prior to instruction; the content of the instruction and the mode of assessment should be aligned with the desired learning. However, many educators had serious concerns that CBI would diminish learning standards and focus teaching on the least common denominator -- minimum competencies that are easy to define and measure.
Despite the considerable controversy over CBI, the concept of defining and measuring what students should know, think, or be able to do as a result of their education has continued to evolve over the past 25 years, in tandem with many other facets of education reform. The newest incarnation is "outcome-based education" which is closely linked with the move toward assessment, evaluation, and accountability for educational institutions.
But what exactly do we mean when we talk about instructional objectives, learning objectives, competencies, and outcomes? Do these terms all mean the same thing? How are they alike or different?
Clarifying the Terminology
The following definitions provide a starting point for reaching consensus about the terminology of assessment and evaluation. They were selected from a wide range of educational resources because they provide definitions that are clear, unambiguous, and may enlighten future discussions.
SELECTED DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS IN ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
| Instructional objectives | The skills and attitudes you want your students to acquire; the objective states what students will be able to do at the end of the instruction. Used synonymously with competency. (Sullivan & Higgins, 1982) |
| Competencies | Composite skills, behaviors, or knowledge that can be demonstrated by the learner and are derived from explicit conceptualizations of the desired outcomes of learning. Used synonymously with learning objectives. (Hall & Jones, 1976)
Statements which describe skills or knowledge students are expected to possess as a result of completing the course successfully. (MCCCD Curriculum Procedures Handbook, 1993) |
Based upon these definitions, the terms instructional objectives, learning objectives and competencies can be, and often are, used interchangeably. |
| Outcomes | High-quality, culminating demonstrations of significant learning in context... an outcome is not a score or a grade, but the end product of a clearly defined process that students carry out. Outcomes often cut across disciplinary lines and describe complex and generalizable skills, attitudes or knowledge to be demonstrated by students. (Spady, 1994) | Educational outcomes | What a department/faculty intends for a student to be able to think, know, or do when he or she has completed a given program of study or an entire comprehensive educational experience; may be attitudinal, cognitive, or behavioral. (Nichols, 1995) | Based upon these definitions, outcomes can be thought of as the "big objectives" that describe in measurable terms what students will know, think, or be able to do at the culmination of some educational program or experience. |
| Assessment | A systematic process of gathering, interpreting, and using information about student learning. (American Association for Higher Education, 1992) The act of determining the standing of an object on some variable of interest, for example, testing students and reporting scores. (Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, 1994) |
| Evaluation | A process of specifying or identifying goals or standards of performance, identifying or developing tools to measure performance, comparing data with objectives or standards, and identifying the degree of congruence or discrepancy between the two so that judgments of worth can be made regarding the institution, program, or process. (Gardner in Stark & Thomas, Eds. 1994) The special features of evaluation, as a particular kind of investigation, include concerns with needs, description, context, outcomes, comparisons, costs, audience, utilization, and the supporting and making of sound value judgments. (Davis in Stark & Thomas, Eds. 1994) The systematic investigation of the worth or merit of an educational program, project, or materials. (Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, 1994) |
| Based upon these definitions, the term ASSESSMENT refers to the systematic gathering of information about component parts of the thing to be evaluated (e.g., assessing student learning upon completion of a particular course or course of study). EVALUATION is broader than assessment and involves examining information about many components of the thing being evaluated and making judgments about its worth or effectiveness. | |
References
American Association for Higher Education. (1992). Principles of good practice for assessing student learning. Washington, D.C.: Author.
Davis, B.G., J.S. & Thomas, A.M. (1994). Assessment and program evaluation: An ASHE reader. Needham Heights, MA: Simon Schuster Custom Publishing (pp. 7-19).
Gardner, D.E., J.S. & Thomas, A.M. (1994). Assessment and program evaluation: An ASHE reader. Needham Heights, MA: Simon Schuster Custom Publishing (pp. 45-57).
Hall, G.E., & Jones, H.L. (1976). Competency-based education: A process for the improvement of education. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. (1994). The program evaluation standards, 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Maricopa Community College District Curriculum Procedures Handbook, 1993.
North Central Association of Colleges. (March 1996). Revision of Criteria Three and Four, Handbook of Accreditation. Chicago, IL: Author.
Nichols, J.O. (1995). A practitioner's handbook for institutional effectiveness and student outcomes assessment implementation. Edison, NJ: Agathon Press.
Spady, W.G. (March 1994). Choosing outcomes of significance. Educational Leadership. 51: 6, 18-22.
Sullivan, H., & Higgins, N. (1983). Teaching for competence. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
