21st Century Assessment
Learning Outcome
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:
▪ Analyze the fundamental concepts and characteristics of 21 st century assessment. ▪
Use appropriate assessment tools and techniques as applied in instructional
decision.
▪ Relate learning outcomes and assessment.
Overview
In order to thrive in this constantly changing and extremely challenging period, the
acquisition of 21st century skills is necessary. It is imperative that the educational system sees
that these skills are developed and honed before the learners graduate. Thus, the
assessment processes and tools must be suited to the needs and requirements of the 21 st
century.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 21ST CENTURY ASSESSMENT
1. Responsive. Visible performance-based work (as a result of assessment) generates
data that inform curriculum and instruction. Teachers can adjust instructions, school
leaders can consider additional educational opportunities for students and policy
makers can modify programs and resources to cater the present needs of the school
community.
2. Flexible. Lesson design, curriculum, and assessment require flexibility, suppleness, and
adaptability. Assessments and responses may not be fitted to expected answers.
Assessment need to be adaptable to students’ settings. Rather than the identical
approach that works in traditional assessment, 21 st century approaches are more
versatile. These approaches best fit for the demands of the learning environment at
present since as students’ decisions, actions and applications vary, the assessments
and the system need to be flexible, too.
3. Integrated. Assessments are to be incorporated into day-to-day practice rather than
as add-ons at the end of instructions or during a single specified week of the school
calendar.
4. Informative. The desired 21st century goals and objectives are clearly stated and
explicitly taught. Students display their range of emerging knowledge and skills.
Exemplars routinely guide students toward achievement of targets.
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
5. Multiple Methods. An assessment continuum that includes a spectrum of strategies is
the norm. Students demonstrate knowledge and skills through relevant tasks,
projects, and performances. Authentic and performance-based assessment is
emphasized. There is recognition of and appreciation for the process and products
of learning.
6. Communicated. Communication of assessment data is clear and transparent for all
stakeholders. Results are routinely posted to a database along with standards-based
commentary, both of which must be available and comprehensible at all levels.
Students receive routine feedback on their progress, and parents are kept informed
through access to visible progress reports and assessment data.
7. Technically Sound. Adjustments and accommodations are made in the assessment
process to meet the student needs and fairness. Students demonstrate what they
know and how they can apply that knowledge in ways that are relevant and
appropriate for them.
8. Systemic. Twenty-first century assessment is part of a comprehensive and well
aligned assessment system that is balanced and inclusive of all students, constituents,
and stakeholders and designed to support improvement at all levels.
These eight characteristics of 21st century assessment, are essential guide for the preparation of
assessment activities by educators. It is necessary to refer to these characteristics to ensure that
the learners are being assessed towards the skills and demand of the 21 st century.
INSTRUCTIONAL DECISION IN ASSESSMENT
The major objective of educational assessment is to have a holistic appraisal of a learner, his/her
environment and accomplishments.
It is clear that educational assessment encompasses the total educational setting and not limited
to the teacher-student engagement. It is not merely based on a single aspect such as taking a
test, and checking it. In totality, the processes of measurement and evaluation are subsumed in
the educational assessment process.
Decision-Making at Different Phases of Teaching-Learning Process
Assessment is constantly taking place in educational settings. Decisions are made about
content/subject matter and specific targets, nature of students and faculty, morale and
satisfaction of both the teachers and the students, as well as the extent of which student
performances meet the standard and/or deliver the outcomes expected from them by the
teacher.
The table below depicts the different phases of the teaching-learning process, how and what
decisions are made by the teachers:
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
Phase
Before
starting
teaching
During
Teaching
Decision(s) to be made
Source(s) of information
▪ Content to cover during following day, week,
month, grading period, and so on.
▪ Abilities of students considering the cultural
background, interests and skills of students in
planning the teaching activities.
▪ Materials appropriate to use with the students
▪ Learning activities that will engage both the
teacher and students as the lesson is being
taught
▪ Learning targets that the teacher wants to
achieve as a result of teaching
▪ Organization and arrangement of students in
class in consideration of
the lessons and
activities
▪ Informal observation of students during
class
▪ Conversation with
students’ previous
teachers
▪ Scholastic aptitude test results
▪ Students learning on what and how the lesson is
presented
▪ Improvement needed to make the lesson work
better
▪ What feedback to give each student about how
well the student is learning
▪ Readiness of the students to move to the next
activity as planned in the learning sequence
▪ Observation of students during learning
activities ▪ Students’ response to
▪ Students’ past grades and standardized
test results
▪ Knowledge of student’s personal
family
circumstances
questions the teacher asked them
▪ Observation of students’ interaction
▪ Diagnosis of the types of errors the
students made or erroneous thinking
the students are using
▪ Look for alternative ways to teach the
materials
▪ Identify if there are students who are not
participating and acting appropriately
▪ How well students achieve the short and long
term instructional targets
▪ Strengths and weaknesses to be given as
feedback
▪ Classroom tests, projects, observations
▪ Interviews with students ▪
Standardized test results
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
After a
Teaching
Segment
to parents or guardians of students
▪ Grade to be given to each student for the
lesson or unit, grading period or end of the
course
▪ Effectiveness of teaching the lesson to the
students ▪ Effectiveness of the
curriculum and materials used for the
lesson
▪ Observations of each student’s classroom
participation
▪ Review each student’s homework results
▪ Review each student’s standardized
achievement and scholastic aptitude test
results
▪ Review information about
a student’s
personal family circumstances
▪ Informal observation of how well the student
has attained the intended learning targets
▪ Summaries of the class’ performance on the
important instructional targets
▪ Summaries of the class’ performance on the
important instructional targets
▪ Summaries of the class’ performance on
selected questions on standardized tests
▪ Summaries of how well the students liked the
activities and lesson materials
▪ Summaries of the class’ achievement on
classroom tests that match the curriculum
Nitko, 2001
Assessment in Classroom Instruction
Linn and Gronlund (2000) described the relevance of assessment in instructional decision by
classifying the varied assessment procedures according to use in classroom instruction. The
following are the categories and purposes of each category:
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
Assessment in Classroom Instruction
CATEGORY
PURPOSE
1. Placement Assessment
Measures entry behavior
2. Formative Assessment
Monitors learning progress
3. Diagnostic Assessment
Identifies causes of learning problems
4. Summative Assessment
Measures end-of-course achievement
Linn (1999) said that informed decision-making in education is very important because of the
benefits it can bring about. Topmost of these benefits is the enhancement of students’ learning
and development.
Types of Educational Decision
On a greater scale, the use of assessment in decision-making is not just within the bounds of the
classroom. It extends to the whole education community. Results of assessment may trigger
updates in the existing curriculum and other policies governing the school system.
Kubiszyn and Borich (2002) classified the different educational decisions into eight (8) categories.
These types of decisions are described briefly below.
Types of Educational Decision
DECISION
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE
Instructional
Grading
Diagnostic
This decision is normally made by individual
classroom teacher, as necessary to meet the
targets or objectives set during classroom
engagement. Decisions are
reached
according to the results of test administered
to a class.
After a test was given by the teacher, the result is
not so satisfactory thus the teacher may decide
to re-teach the lesson using a different strategy
so as to improve the learning and meet the
objective/target set for that particular lesson.
It is usually based on teacher made tests.
Grades are assigned to the students using
assessment as one of the factors.
A quarterly grade is based on the following: result
of the teacher-made test, class participation,
projects, and attendance.
It is made to determine a student’s strengths
and weaknesses and the reason or reasons.
A teacher gave an essay test. The teacher
noticed that the students were able to write more
than five grammatically correct sentences but
the coherence of the ideas contained in the
paragraph is
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
poor. So the result shows that the students still
need more
help in understanding the
principles of writing a good paragraph.
Selection
It involves accepting or rejecting the examinee
based
on the results of assessment,
for
admission or qualification to a program or
school activity. The decisions are made not by
classroom teachers but by specialists such as
guidance counselors, administrators, or the
selection committee.
College or University Entrance Examination,
Choosing School Representative for a National
Quiz Bee
Placement
It is made after a student has been admitted to
school. it involves the process of identifying
students who need remediation or may be
recommended for enrichment program of the
school.
A diagnostic test on English and Math were
given to freshmen to determine who among
them may encounter difficulty in these areas.
Those who will get a below-average score will
be included in the remediation program to
help the students cope with the lessons in
English and Math.
Guidance
and
Counseling
It utilizes test data to assist students in making
their personal choices for future career and
help them know
their strengths and
weaknesses by means of standardized tests.
The NCAE helps to identify which career path
the student may pursue that matches his/her
interests and
skills, whether academic,
vocational, or technical programs.
Program or
Curriculum
It is made not at the level of the teachers but
on higher level such as division, regional, or
national level. Based on the result of assessment
and evaluation, educational decisions may be
reached: to continue, discontinue, revise or
replace a curriculum or
program being
implemented.
The decision to implement the K-12 Curriculum
in order to avoid mismatch among graduates
and the industry and to be at par with the
curriculum implemented in the Philippines’
neighboring countries.
It involves determining the implications to
resources
To conduct a remediation class, additional
budget is
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
Administrative
Policy
including financial consideration in order to improve
the student learning as a result of an assessment. It
may entail acquisition of instructional materials,
books,
etc. to raise the level of
students’
performance in academic, or non-academic or
both.
necessary for the logistics (classroom,
instructional
materials, assessment
materials, etc.) and also the additional
pay for the teachers that will handle
the remedial classes.
These aforementioned educational decisions are the primary reasons why assessment in the
educational setting is implemented continuously.
OUTCOME-BASED ASSESSMENT
Knowing what is expected from the learners by their teachers at the end of a particular lesson
helps them to meet those targets successfully. In relation to this, teachers who have set clear
targets for their lessons, will be guided accordingly as they deliver their lesson through instructional
learning activities to meet the desired outcomes. Thus, all assessment and evaluation activities
must be founded on the identified student intended learning outcomes (ILO).
Student Learning Outcome
Student learning outcome is the totality of accumulated knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
students develop during a course of study. And this serve as the basis for assessing the extent of
learning in an Outcome Based Education (OBE). Outcome based assessment must be
continuously done during the entire teaching learning both by the teachers and students to
ensure that the activities are aligned with the expected outcomes set for the students by the
teacher.
Sources of Student Expected Learning Outcome
There are several factors that need to be considered in defining the outcomes, to ensure that
these are aligned with the set directions of the program and evaluation setting in general.
Following are the factors that need to be considered in crafting the student expected learning
outcomes:
1. Mission statement of the school
2. Mandated policies on competencies and standards issued by government education
agencies.
3. Competencies expected by different professions, business, and industry. 4. Development
plan and goals as well as the current thrusts of both the national and local governments.
5. Current global trends and developments so that graduates can compete globally.
Notes Assessment in
Learning 2
6. General 21st century skills focusing on the following:
▪ Oral and written communication
▪ Quantitative reasoning ability together with scientific methodology
▪ Analyzing, synthesizing, and developing creative solutions
▪ Use of technology
▪ Information literacy
Characteristics of Good Learning Outcome
Good learning outcomes give emphasis to the application and integration of the knowledge and
skills acquired in a particular unit of instruction (e.g. activity, course program, etc.), and emerge
from a process of reflection on the essential contents of the activity, course, program, etc.
1. Very specific, and use verbs (that makes expectations clear). By being very specific, it
informs students of the standards by which they will be assessed, and ensures that student
and instructor goals in the course are aligned.
2. Focused on the learner: rather than explaining what the instructor will do in the course, good
learning outcomes describe knowledge or skills that the student will employ, and help the
learner understand why that knowledge and those skills are useful and valuable to their
personal, professional, and academic future.
3. Are realistic: all passing students should be able to demonstrate the knowledge or skill
described by the learning outcome at the conclusion of the course. In this way, learning
outcomes establish standards for the course.
4. Focus on the application and integration of acquired knowledge and skills: good learning
outcomes reflect and indicate the ways in which the described knowledge and skills may
be used by the learner now and in the future.
5. Good learning outcomes prepare students for assessment and help them feel engaged in
and empowered by the assessment and evaluation process.
6. Offer a timeline for completion of the desired learning.
Source: Cajigal, R. & Mantuano, M.L. (2015). Assessment of Learning 2. Adriana Publishing Company:
Quezon City