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Written by Robert A. Southworth Jr.
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Friday, 03 February 2006 |
assessment, from the French, meaning to sit next to, is the process of sitting next to students to evaluate their learning. In terms of school reform, it has less high-stakes attached to it, is more informal, and often involves Formative Evaluation rather than traditional standardized tests that are more high-stakes, more summative and are currently used for testing and accountability through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In this section we provide articles on diagnostic tests and a survey of teacher opinion about assessment so that readers will gain a greater understanding of the real differences between assessment and testing. One of the more important issues to understand is the use we make of assessment results versus the use we make of testing results in America. Testing is now used as a high-stakes Policy tool to hold schools and states accountable for student learning and assessment has almost always been used to help teachers teach better, help students understand the progress of their learning, and help all involved diagnose learning disabilities.
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Assessment 
