Azim Premji University

Student assessment in practice

20201021 104705

Student assessment is a critical aspect of the teaching and learning process. It helps to systematically improve the quality of students’ learning through improved programs, curricula and teaching. While several educational policies point towards intent to bring in assessment driven improvement in the quality of education, the present system of assessment is largely memory based, examination centric and tests limited abilities of students with inadequate focus on students understanding or application of knowledge and skills. This is because there has been a little investment in pre-service teacher training to relate knowledge of assessment to field experience and with a viewpoint to improve school-based assessments. Also, the in-service trainings focus just to upgrade professional knowledge and competence, these lacks best practices of designing and using assessments. Therefore, there is an urgent need for relevant stakeholders in education to shift their perspective towards assessment and develop proficiency to create and use assessments that promote deeper learning. 

This course is premised on the belief that assessment has different purposes and it is important to intentionally design and use assessment methods to serve the intended purposes. The course revolves around three inter-related purposes for assessment: assessment of, for and as learning and emphasizes on balancing each purpose to enhance students’ learning. This course aims to enable teachers, teacher educators & assessment practitioners plan effective assessment, conduct assessment with appropriate tools & techniques and use assessment results for improving teaching & learning – thereby utilizing the actual power of assessment. This course will primarily target assessment of students’ learning levels with a primary focus on elementary level school education. Participants will develop a theoretical perspective on assessment together with a practical insight by working on several hands-on assignments and projects which will enable them to practice and apply the knowledge of concepts learnt throughout the course.

  • Teachers teaching in government and private schools
  • Teacher educators teaching in various government, government aided and private teacher education institutions
  • Practitioners working in various non-profit organizations and private organizations in the area of education & development

Introduction to assessment 

  • In this module, participants will learn about terminologies, purposes, types, and issues of assessment. These topics will be discussed in the light of history of assessment reforms and educational policies in India. This will enable participants to critique current debates about assessment and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of approaches to assessment.

Designing assessment

  • This module will help in developing skills in designing quality assessments. Several hands-on experiences on reviewing existing assessments will enable participants to appreciate the interlinkages between learning outcomes, assessment, and teaching. Participants will get an opportunity to design a range of formal and informal assessments.

Using assessment

  • This module will focus on synthesizing assessment results to reveal student misconceptions and tailor teaching as per students learning. Several activities and classroom experiments will help participants use assessment results to enhance students learning. Principles that guide effective reporting of assessment results to all the stakeholders will also be discussed. 

Course Faculty