Difference between assessment and examination

1. National Assessment
and Public
Examinations

2. Assessment
 To assess generally means “to find the worth
of something”. In the educational context, it
means to collect and interpret information
about the abilities and attitudes of students
with an objective to further improve these
areas of students.

3. Assessment
Why assessment
 How much students have learnt
 Purposeful instruction
 Continuous improvement
 Grading and promoting students
 Diagnosing learning difficulties
 Grouping students for learning

4. Why assessment
 Providing remedial and individualized
instruction
 Reviewing and revising instructional
techniques
 Determine the effectiveness of educational
system as a whole
 Identify the modifications in curriculum and
text books
 Identify additional resources and inputs to
improve programme

5. Assessment by Size
 Small Scale Assessment: it is
limited to individual student. It relates
to decision like promotion, placement,
selection of study programmes etc. It
also focuses on teacher and
classroom instructional strategies.

6. National assessment
Large Scale Assessment: An
exercise designed to describe the
level of achievements, not of
individual students, but of a whole
education system, or a clearly
defined part of it.

7. Why do a National/Provincial
Assessment ?
 To identify levels of achievement
 To get baseline data for monitoring
progress
 To identify factors related to student
achievement levels
 To aid decisions about the allocation of
resources

8. Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)
NA PE
Purpose
To provide feedback
to policy makers
To certify and select
students
Frequency For individual
subjects offered on
a regular basis (e.g.
every four years)
Annually and more
often where the
system allows for
repeats.

9. Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)
NA PE
Who is tested? Usually a sample of
students at a particular
grade or age level
All students who wish
to take this examination
at the examination
grade level
Format Usually multiple-choice
and short-answer
Usually essay and
multiple-choice
Focus System as a whole Individual

10. NA PE
Stakes:
Importance
for students,
teachers etc
Low importance Great importance
Coverage of
Subjects
Generally 2-3
subjects.
Extensive
coverage within
subject areas,
e.g. 120
questions
Cover main
subject areas.
Limited covered
within subjects.
e.g. 6 questions
Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)

11. NA PE
Effect on
teaching
Very little
immediate direct
effect. Can have
long-term effects
Major: teachers
tend to teach
what is expected
on the
examination
Additional tuition
sought for
students
Very unlikely Frequently
Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)

12. NA PE
Duration One or two days Can extend over
a few weeks
Do students get
results?
Generally not Yes
Demographic
Variables/Affectin
g Factors
information
Frequently from
student, teacher,
headmaster
Seldom, if ever.
Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)

13. NA PE
Scoring Quick,
usually involves
statistically
sophisticated
techniques
Usually slow,
a simple process
based on a
predetermined
marking scheme
Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)

14. NA PE
Impact on level of
student attainment
Unlikely to have
impact
Poor results or the
prospect of failure
can lead to early
dropout.
Usefulness for
monitoring trends
in achievement
levels over time
.
Appropriate if tests
are designed with
this in mind
Not appropriate as
questions vary from
year to year
Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)

15. NA PE
Usefulness for
policy making
Has potential
e.g.,
Monitor
standards of
achievement and
provision of
support
Has limited
potential
e.g.,can give
feedback to
system
Differences National/Provincial
Assessments (NA) and Public
Examinations (PE)

16. How frequent?
 As educational systems do not change
rapidly, frequent assessments would be
unlikely to register change.
 Over-frequent assessments would more than
likely limit the impact of the results and could
also be less cost efficient.

17. How frequent?
 Chile every year,
 US assesses reading and mathematics every second year and
other subjects less frequently.
 The international assessment of reading literacy (PIRLS) had
five-year span.
 Japan every ten years to guide curriculum and textbook
revision
 If the purpose of an assessment is to provide information
on the performance of the system as a whole, an
assessment in a particular curriculum area every three to
five years would seem adequate.

18. Questions to be addressed in
NA/PA
 How well are students learning in the
education system (with reference to general
expectations, the aims of the curriculum, or
preparation for life)?
 Is there evidence of particular strengths and
weaknesses in students’ knowledge and
skills?

19. Do particular subgroups in the population
perform poorly? Are there, for example,
disparities between the achievements of
 boys and girls,
 students in urban and rural locations,
 students from different language or ethnic
groups,
 students in different regions of the country?
Questions to be addressed in
NA/PA

20. What factors are associated with student
achievement? To what extent does achievement
vary with characteristics of the learning environment
such as
 school resources,
 teacher preparation and competence,
 type of school or
 students’ home and community circumstances?
Questions to be addressed in
NA/PA

21. Are government standards being met with
regard to provision of
 textbooks,
 desks, and
 other quality inputs?
Questions to be addressed in
NA/PA

22. Do the achievements of students change over
time? This question may be of particular
interest if reforms of the education system
are being undertaken. To answer the
question, it will be necessary to carry out
assessments that yield comparable data at
different points in time
Questions to be addressed in
NA/PA