There are four main types of evaluation: placement evaluation, formative evaluation, summative evaluation, and diagnostic evaluation. Placement evaluation is conducted at the beginning of instruction to determine a student's knowledge and skills to plan appropriate instruction. Formative evaluation monitors student progress during instruction through feedback. Summative evaluation is conducted at the end of a course to determine if instructional goals were achieved, such as for grading. Diagnostic evaluation identifies specific learning difficulties during formative evaluation in order to provide remedial support.

1. TYPES OF EVALUATION
The following are the types of evaluation based on the function for which
each one serves.
Placement Evaluation: To determine student performance at the beginning of
instruction. This evaluation is concerned with the student’s entry performance and
typically focuses on the questions such as the following
(a) Does the student possess the knowledge and skills needed to begin the planned
instruction
(b) To what extent has the student already developed the understanding and skills
that are the goals of the planned instruction?
(c) To what extent do the student’s interest, work habits, and personality
characteristics indicate that one mode of instruction might be better than another. In
short, the goal of placement evaluation is to determine for each student position in
the instructional sequence and the mode of instruction that is most beneficial.
Formative Evaluation: Formative evaluation is used to monitor learning progress
during instruction. Its purpose is to provide continuous feedback to both students and
teachers concerning learning success and failures. Feedback to students provides
reinforcement of successful learning and identifies the specific learning errors and
misconceptions that are in need of correction. Feedback to teachers provides
information for modifying instruction and for prescribing group and individual
work. Formative assessment helps teachers to meet the individual’s needs of their
students through differentiated instruction. In Formative evaluation teacher
continuously monitor a student’s progress in a non-threatening, supportive
environment. It involves regular descriptive feedback, a chance for the student to
reflect on the performance, take advice and improve upon it. If used effectively, it
can improve student performance tremendously, while raising the self-esteem of the
child and reducing the work load of the teacher.

2. In the words of A.J. Nikto, (1983) “Formative evaluation is concerned with
judgments made during the design and or development of a program which are
directed towards modifying, forming or otherwise improving the programme before
it is completed”.
According to N.E. Gronlund (1985), “Formative evaluation is used to monitor
learning progress during instruction and to provide continuous feedback to both
pupil and teacher concerning learning successes and Failures. Feedback to pupils
reinforces successful learning and identifies the learning errors that need correction.
Feedback to the teacher provides information for modifying instruction and
prescribing group and individual remedial work.”
Salient features of Formative Evaluation.
 Diagnostic and remedial
 Makes the provision for effective feedback
 Provides the platform for the active involvement of students in their own
learning.
 Enables teachers to adjust teaching to take account of the results of
assessment.
 Recognizes the profound influence assessment on the motivation and self
–esteem of students, both of which are crucial and influences learning.
 Recognize the need for students to be able to assess themselves and
understand how to improve.
 Builds on student’s prior knowledge and experience in designing what is
taught.
 Incorporates varied learning styles into deciding how and what to teach.
 Encourages students to understand the criteria that will be used to judge their
work.
 Offers an opportunity to students to improve their work after feedback.

3.  Helps students to support their peers, and accept to be supported by them.
 It is cause seeking and relatively focuses on molecular analysis.
 It is used for current students.
Summative Evaluation: It is carried out of at the end of a course of learning. It is
designed to determine the extent to which the instructional goals have been achieved.
And is used primarily for assigning course grades or for certifying student mastery of
the intended learning outcomes. The various source of information about student
achievement may be systematically collected into a portfolio that may be used to
summarize or showcase the student’s accomplishments and progress. The main
purpose of summative evaluation is grading or the certification of student
achievement. It also provides information for judging the appropriateness of the
course objectives and the effectiveness of the instruction.
Summative Evaluation in the words of N.E. Gronlund (1985), “It comes at the end of
a course of instruction. It is designed to determine the extent to which the
instructional objective have been achieved and is used primarily for assigning course
grades or certifying pupil mastery of the intended learning outcomes.
According to A.J.Nikto (1983), “Summative evaluation describes judgments about
the merits of an already completed programme, procedure or product.”
W.Wiersma and S.G.Gurs (1990) state, “summative assessment is done at the
conclusion of instruction and measures the extent to which students have attained the
desired outcomes”.
Salient features of Summative Assessment.
 There should be some instructional programme before summative evaluation.
 The instructional programme should be for the attainment of some objectives.
 It is done at the end of a unit semester or whole year to demonstrate the “sum”
of what they have or have not learned.

4.  It provides feedback to the teacher and the learners for the success or failure of
the programme or of the student.
 It is the terminal assessment, so no feedback and remedial measures.
 The main consideration is the determination of the extent to which the
examinees has mastered the knowledge and skills associated with a course.
 It is used for promotion, classification and career guidance.
 It ‘sums up’ how much a student has learned from the course.
 It is useful in judging the course objectives, curriculum restructuring and for
research purpose.
Summative assessment is carried out at the end of a course of learning. It
measures or ‘sum up’ how much a student has learned from the course. It involves
the determination of the worth, value or quality of an outcome.
Diagnostic Evaluation :Diagnostic evaluation is conducted along with formative
evaluation during the instructional process. It is carried out based on the data
obtained from formative evaluation. Diagnostic evaluation is specially conducted to
identify and remove the learning difficulties of learner if it is observed and found
during the formative evaluation. For example, if a learner could not understand
certain concepts in a particular subject and continuously performing poorly in that
subject, we conduct diagnostic test to know the causes of the difficulties and
accordingly provide them remedial treatment to overcome the difficulties. The key
word in diagnostic evaluation is identifying of ‘learning difficulties’. The aim of
diagnostic evaluation is to determine the cause of persistent learning problems and to
formulate a plan for remedial action. It is concerned with the persistent or recurring
learning difficulties that are the left unresolved by the slandered corrective
prescriptions of formative evaluation. Diagnostic evaluation is much more
comprehensive and detailed. It involves the use of specially prepared diagnostic tests
as well as observational techniques and individualized education plan for the student
to overcome the learning problems with the help of psychological, medical
specialists and educationists.
REFERENCES:
1. Agrawal, Mamta (1988). A Handbook of Evaluation in English, NCERT, New
Delhi.

5. 2. Bloom, B.S., et a1 (1970) Handbook on Formative and Summative Evaluation of
Student Learning, New'York, Mc Graw-Hill.
3. Gronlund, N.E., (1981) Measurement and Evaluation in Teaching, The
MacMillan Company, New York.