Our authentic standardised testing allow teachers to compare a student’s skills to those of others in his age group or grade level. The performance of individual student is rated using scales developed. Tests are just one way to measure the abilities of students. Teachers need to observe behaviour of students in class and other methods to assess their abilities in addition to tests.
Today, we know learning requires that the learner engage in problem-solving to actively build mental models. Knowledge is attained not just by receiving information, but also by processing the information. What is important, and therefore should be assessed, is the learner’s ability to organise, structure and use information in context to solve problems.
Other factors such as a child’s attentiveness, motivation, anxiety and understanding of instructions can affect the score.
Effective evaluation give parents/ students feedback on what they need to improve, while helping teachers better design instructions and goal setting.