Assessment is not only geared towards which grade one score, but also the understanding of the content being taught. As much as the assessment has its flaws, much is embedded in its application apart from grades. It ensures evaluation of goals of education as well as achievement of standards of learning. Notably, learning is a continuous and broad process, which involves not only scoring good grades, but also individual, spiritual, emotional, and psychological growth (Hayward " Spencer, 2014). Therefore, apart from questioning the validity and reliability of assessment regarding grades, individuals should consider the other achievements of evaluation, such as building curriculum, funding, meeting instructional needs, placement, and advancement.
Philip
I agree with Philip's assertions concerning formative assessment strategies. For a long time, this type of assessment has supported all kinds of curricula through great strategies of learning (Wiliam " Leahy, 2015). The method helps in tracking learning outcomes as it equips instructors with right strategies for teaching. The flexibility of the technique aids the teachers to customize learning based on the content and products of instruction. Therefore, this assessment is student-centered, a situation that is important for teaching-learning process.
Manuel
One thing that Manuel has forgotten is to point out that summative assessment has higher stakes than formative type. The goals and expectations must be clearly stated to ensure the success of the method. The assessment needs to be transparent with practical questions (McCarthy, 2015). Moreover, the evaluation should be comprehensive with clear parameters since this method summarizes everything a learner has acquired. It must, however, be known that the technique is ineffective since it measures the success of the student based on the grades and not the soft skills developed during the schooling period.
References
Hayward, L., " Spencer, E. (2014). Assessment for learning.
McCarthy, J. (2015). Evaluating written, audio and video feedback in higher education summative assessment tasks. Issues in Educational Research, 25(2), 153-169.
Wiliam, D., " Leahy, S. (2015). Embedding formative assessment: Practical techniques for K-12 classrooms. West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International.
