Why do we Assess?

The purpose of any educational system is manifold, but the focus is predominately on successful learning, leading to the holistic growth of a student. School Mission Statements tend to capture this and all decision-making in a school should be guided by this vision. Assessment is a fundamental part of this education, and it serves several purposes that are crucial to the learning process.

Overall, the central ambition of assessment is easily identified: improved student learning, capabilities, attributes and therefore outcomes. It does this by generating evidence that allows for informed decision-making regarding an individual student. In this manner, it can also be used to increase an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of a school’s learning and teaching culture and assists in the evaluation of a cohort/year level. Even a specific class’s learning behaviours. However, there is another, equally important benefit to a successful assessment culture and policy: increased professional satisfaction among the teaching staff. Teachers need to know their students and evidence from assessment when communicated amongst the staff, forms an important part of that process.

Here are some of the main reasons why we assess in schools:

Measuring Learning Outcomes: Assessment helps us measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning by evaluating how much students have learned and whether they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

Providing Feedback: Assessment helps to provide feedback to students on their learning progress, highlighting areas where they are doing well and areas where they need to improve. This feedback helps students to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to make necessary adjustments in their learning approach.

Identifying Learning Gaps: Assessment helps educators identify gaps in students' learning and understand where they need to focus their efforts to improve student learning outcomes.

Identifying Learning Capability Gaps: Assessment helps educators identify gaps in students' ability at learning and understand where they need to focus their efforts to improve student independent learning capacities.

Informing Instruction: Assessment results help educators to identify which teaching strategies are most effective for their students and adjust instruction to better meet student needs.

Motivating Learning: Assessment can motivate students to engage in their learning by providing a clear understanding of the learning goals, providing feedback and recognising student progress.

Making Decisions: Assessment can be used to make decisions about students' readiness for the next level of instruction, program placement or career paths.