Effective Assessment and Meaningful Feedback: How to Achieve Them?

Have you ever thought about if you are carrying out effective assessment? Assessment plays the main role in monitoring the quality of education and the performance of students. However, it is not always fulfilling its purpose. It is a process of evaluation that requires meaningful, effective collection and analysis of data. In this article we discuss how to carry out effective assessment and how to give meaningful feedback.

To carry out effective assessment, here are some suggestions you can follow:

1. Be precise about the learning objectives and expectations, and make sure everyone knows them

   
   – How can you evaluate if something is working without knowing what it does exactly? Assessment should be used to make sure the learning objectives are fulfilled in a satisfactory manner, so teachers, students, and administrators must have a clear idea of what is being assessed.
   – Knowing the learning objectives and expectations was found the be one of the main ways to promote student ownership, as only then can they self-evaluate and be aware of their responsibilities. Administrators should also know what the learning expectations are to understand the outcomes of assessment is a meaningful way.

2. Cater to different learning styles and customize assessments accordingly

   
   – Students learn differently from one another. This naturally results from different cultures, upbringings, or simply from genetics. As a result, it does not make sense to evaluate their performances using the same methods and according to the same metrics. Assessment can take many forms, like scrapbooks, portfolios, videos, meetings, and projects.
   – Teachers can also offer variety using different types of question in exams. By answering a variety of questions, students will have more opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Teachers can use assessment solutions to create such exams. For examples, they can use the Item Bank feature in Qorrect to store and classify many types of questions. They can also use Qorrect to customize the exam to satisfy different needs and styles, therefore making sure they are carrying out effective assessment.

3. Know what the results mean

   
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   – Having a list of grades for a certain exam can mean nothing without a context. Teachers should think about test results as a part of a bigger system. Yes, they indicate how students performed in the exam. However, they do not directly indicate if students understand the learning objectives. Results of a particular student should be interpreted while considering the student’s previous work, testing environment, and how other students are performing.
   – Results can also show what what the weaknesses and strengths of each student is based on which questions they weren’t able to solve and which learning objectives they weren’t able to achieve. Teachers can detect those areas of improvement using Qorrect and the many options of analysis it has. You can try a free basic version to see how Qorrect can help in your assessment process.

4. Give meaningful feedback

   
   – Feedback is a major part of assessment. It is the step of communication that teachers need to master in order to provide meaningful guidance to students. A study found that the type of feedback and the way it is given can change the effect of the feedback. 

These are some steps to follow to make sure the feedback you are giving is meaningful and effective:

1. Be specific

   
   – Vague remarks only confuses students and overwhelms them. It is important to be specific when explaining to students how they performed in a test. For example, receiving a grade of 15/20 is completely different than receiving a report summarizing which learning objectives were met and which were not. This applies on positive feedback as well as negative ones. Students need to know what they are doing right in order to identify their positive habits and apply them.

2. The sooner the better
   

   
   – The later the feedback is given, the less useful it becomes. Research has found that students show signs of deeper understand and faster development when they receive immediate feedback. Qorrect can provide you with the necessary tools to obtain exam results right away. You can also use Qorrect to share these results to the students right away.

3. Focus on progress and achievements

   
   – Feedback is best given within a context. Students need to understand where they are, where they started, and where they need to get. Showing students their progress and development over time will motivate them to work. It will also give them better understanding of what their grades mean. Moreover, working towards a certain goal will help them advance towards this goal. Instead of just studying for the exam, students will know the point behind the effort they exert and, as a result, feel encouraged to study more.

Effective assessment is a great way to develop the educational process, and meaningful feedback one of the most important components of assessment. To know more about the best practices of assessment, follow our blog. You can also check out Qorrect to learn more about how it can help your educational institution.

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