Page 12 - DEDU504_EDUCATIONAL_MEASUREMENT_AND_EVALUATION_ENGLISH

Educational Measurement and Evaluation

Notes 1.4 Current Trends in Testing
There are lot of current trends are working in Testing. These are as follows:-
Introduction of New Types of Tests : Attempts should be made to minimise the subjective element.
Essay type questions should be reduced and supplemented by new-type of objective.
Thought-provoking Questions : Questions should be thought-provoking and evenlydistributed
over the entire course. Question should be such as to discourage cramming.
Class Work : Due consideration should be given to the regularity of the students in class work.
Appointment of Examiners : The paper-setters and examiners for external examinations should be
drawn from the teachers who actually teach subjects in schools.
Viva Voce Tests : External examinations may be supplemented by viva voce tests, it possible.
Standard of Markings : Standard of marking should be prescribed so as to minimise the variability
in marking.
Balanced Questions : Difficult as well as easy questions should find a place in the question papers.
These should not be either too difficult or too easy.
Monthly Tests : Instead of terminal examinations, a system of monthly tests should exist. However,
a recapitulatory test may be held at the end of the year.
Faith in the Teacher : The teacher should be trusted. He should be given a fair opportunity to know
and study closely the students he teaches.
Cumulative Records : These should be maintained in respect of all the students.
Grades : In place of numerical marking, the system of symbolic marking be adopted. Five-point
scale seems to be the best type of symbolic marking scale i.e., ‘A’ stands for excellent, ‘B’ for good,
‘C’ for fair and average, ‘D’ for poor and ‘E’ for very poor. Examination as Means : Examinations
should be regarded as means and not ends. These should be conducted in such a manner that they
become effective instruments of education. They should serve as stimulus to learn new facts, gain
new experiences, discover weak points and estimate progress.
Oral Examinations : Oral examinations should be held in addition to the written ones. Some qualities
like candidate’s alertness, intelligence, special interests, mental outlook, his personal qualities of
mind and character and his mastery of acquired knowledge can be better tested by viva voce tests
than by written examinations.
Self Assessment
1. Fill in the blanks :
(i) Testing is one of the significant and most usable techniques in any _________ or evaluation.
(ii) _________ are more reliable for measuring the learning outcomes in Cognitive domain, while
practical examinations measure learning out comes in _________.
(iii) _________ of test provide indication of success or failures of educational programmes.
(iv) Questions should be _________ and evenly distributed over the entire course.
(v) _________ of examiners influence the marks of individuals and leads to a great variability in
marking.

1.5 Concept of Educational Assessment

Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves
making expectations explicit and public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning
quality; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well
performance matches those expectations and standards, and using the resulting information to
document, explain, and improve performance.

6 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY