Topic > Essay on Formative Assessment - 541

Evaluation is “the process of collecting, synthesizing, and interpreting information to assist in decision making” (Airasian, 2000, p. 10). Similarly, Payne (2003) defines evaluation as “the interpretive integration of application tasks (procedures) to gather goal-relevant information for educational decision making and communication about the impact of the teaching-learning process” (p .9). This means that assessment is a form of data collection that has meaning when making judgments about student learning. It is an effective way to assist students' learning, identify their weaknesses and strengths, and also to recover the effectiveness of curriculum programs. On the other hand, Moon (2000) suggests that assessment is “a way of providing feedback on learning and teaching” (p.148). These authors highlight two different purposes in student assessment. One of the purposes of assessment is to collect data and information to measure student progress and achievement. Teachers also collect data from students' work to give them feedback on their learning. Therefore there are t...