CENTROS DE FORMACION OCUPACIONAL Y AGENCIAS DE DESARROLLO LOCAL

As assessment of learners is continuous and educators should be aware that the main aim is to improve learners‟ achievement of outcomes. Assessment is a crucial aspect and it is essential in this study to investigate the knowledge educators have and how different types of assessments are employed. The Department of education (2008:114) stipulates the following types of assessment as explained in the ensuing paragraphs.

3.9.7.1 Baseline assessment

Baseline assessment measures children‟s knowledge, understanding, and skills before joining school (Eisner 2006:11). It usually takes place at the beginning of a Grade or a phase to establish what learners already know. It assists educators to plan learning programmes and learning activities.

3.9.7.2 Diagnostic assessment

According to Dodge (2007:6) diagnostic assessment occurs at the begging of the learning/teaching cycle and will provide the teacher with an understanding of the prior knowledge and skills a student brings to a unit, as well as the strengths and specific learning needs of an individual or

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groups of students in relation to the expectations that will be taught. Wormeli (2010:5) indicates that diagnostic assessment is conducted prior to and during learning to determine what existing knowledge, skills, attitudes, interests, and/or needs the student has, the range of individual differences, and what programme plans and/or modifications are required to meet the needs of individuals or group of students.

Diagnostic assessments thus provide educators with information about what the learners already know and some misconceptions before beginning with the learning and teaching activities. They also provide a baseline for understanding how much learning has taken place after the learning activity is completed. It is used to find out about the nature and cause of barriers to learning experienced by the learners. It is followed by guidance, appropriate support and learning activities.

3.9.7.3 Formative assessment

Nicole and Macfarlane (2007:199) indicate that the purpose of formative assessment is to provide feedback for teachers to modify subsequent learning activities, to indentify and remediate groups or individuals, to move focus away from achieving Grades and onto learning process, and to improve students‟ metacognitive awareness of how they learn. Garrison and Ehringhaus (2008:7) argue that when incorporated into classroom practice, formative assessment provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening. These adjustments help to ensure students achieve targeted standards-based learning goals within a set time frame. Formative assessment serve as practice for students, just like meaningful homework (assignment) and check for understanding along the way and guide teacher decision making about future instruction and they also provide feedback to students so they can improve their performance (Dodge 2007:3). It is actually a range of formal and informal assessment procedures employed by the educators during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve learners‟ attainment of learning outcomes. It monitors and supports the process of learning and teaching, and it is used to inform learners and educators about learners‟ progress so as to improve learning. Constructive feedback should be given to enable learners to improve.

106 3.9.7.4 Summative assessment

According to Castro (2008:13), summative assessment (or summative evaluation) refers to the assessment of learning and summarises the development of learners at a particular time. The learner sits for a test and then the teacher marks the test and assigns a score. Summative assessment is the formal testing of what has been learned in order to produce marks or Grades which may be used for reports of various types (Wormeli 2010:3). However, Heather (2008:5) states that it can have a negative impact on pupils‟ motivation since after it has been employed, low achieving pupils had low self-esteem than higher achievers. It gives an overall picture of learners‟ progress at a given time, for example, at the end of the term or year, or on transfer to another school. The purpose is to measure the learning that has taken place and feedback is often in the form of a report. This generally tends to be the final assessment after the learning process and is normally linked to rewards (pass or failure). Typically, summative assessment concentrates on the learning outcomes rather than only on the processes of learning.

3.9.7.5 Systemic assessment

Systemic assessment is the way of monitoring the performance of the education system. One of the components of this is the assessment of learner performance in relation to the national indicators. It is conducted at the end of each phase of the General Education and Training band. A representative sample of schools and learners is selected provincially or nationally for systemic assessment. These types of assessment should be integrated in the overall processes of assessment as they are not mutually exclusive. A variety of other assessment methods should be incorporated by educators in the learning process. In this study the researcher will establish how the various types of assessment are implemented and how such types of assessment improve the process of learning and teaching.

107 3.9.8 Assessment methods

Educators are encouraged to use various methods of assessment to evaluate learning and to diagnose the need for additional teaching and learning. The following are some of the assessment methods frequently used in schools (Department of Education 2008:27):

 Self-assessment: this helps the learner to reflect on his/her own learning. For the learner to take more responsibility for their own learning, educators should assist them to reflect on their own performances. It is the process of looking at oneself in order to assess aspects that are important to one‟s identity. Outcomes-based education suggests that educators make the learning outcomes of their cause explicit to learners so that learners can assess themselves.

 Peer assessment: learners assess each other in a group situation or individually using tools such as checklists and questionnaires. However, learners should assess each other‟s achievement against clearly defined outcomes.

 Leaner to group: outcomes should be clearly defined so that each learner can assess the performance of a group.

 Learner to learner: two learners assess each other‟s performance on an assigned assessment grid.

This study investigates how the various assessment methods are employed to improve the process of learning and teaching.