WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

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To mark is to assess, to give a test is to assess, the recording of

grades is called assessment. At the same time, the term has other
meanings: analysis of performance, evaluation of results, abilities
measurement, estimation of the student as a whole (Hoffman,
1999).Estimation
In everyday language, the concept of assessment has several
meanings because it can be applied according to the own needs of
the term and depending on the different ways it is understood. That
is, it can mean either estimation, calculation or valuation,
appreciation. In this sense, we should not forget from the
pedagogical dimension the implications of such polysemy:
assessment refers to a procedure through which some
characteristics of a pupil, a group of pupils or an educative
environment, objectives, materials, teachers, plans, etc. have the
attention of the person in charge of assessing, who analyses and
values their features and conditions according to some reference
parameters to reach a conclusion which is always relevant to the
learning process.
So, to assess means to value in general terms. When related to
education, it is possible to distinguish several elements to be
assessed whose implicit relationships are clear. We can assess,
for instance: the educational system, the educational institutions,
the teachers, the teaching materials and resources, the
educational projects and the types and degrees of learning.

In the particular case of assessment of learning processes, it

means to acknowledge what and why to evaluate, for which it is
essential to collect information, to render a valuation, and to make
decisions for future actions.
During the 1940s, when education started to be seen as a
process, some authors defined assessment as an instance that
would establish how well the objectives previously planned had
been reached. Two decades later, new social and ethic concerns
appeared, leading to new approaches such as quality alternatives.
Today, educational assessment is considered not as a purpose of
teaching, but as a means for constant improvement.
Thus, it is possible to recognize different conceptions of
assessment:
From the quantity/amount paradigm, assessment is
understood as objective, neutral and predictive. That is,
centered in efficiency and effectiveness. What is assessed is
what can be observed.
From the quality perspective, assessment consists of
recognizing what is happening and try to understand what
the process means to the different people involved. Here not
only is the product assessed, but also the process.
From a third paradigm, critic, assessment should not only
be to collect information, but also implies dialogue and selfreflection.

EXERCISE
MATCH THE WORDS WITH THEIR SYNONYMS
mark
grade
estimation
assessment
concern
approach
collect

rate
rank
judgement
evaluation
worry
access
gather