Assessment and evaluation are terms often used interchangeably in education. Although they are related, there are differences. Assessing individual students means gathering information about their level of achievement and/or performance. It is the process of observing and measuring learning. Evaluation is the comparison of an individual student's achievements against a set of standards or against other students. Teachers use assessments in reading to make sure students are making suitable measurable progress.
For elementary school students, reading assessments determine if they can recognize words, use a dictionary and thesaurus, and use reading strategies to help in their comprehension of concepts and to understand new words. By the end of elementary school, students should make sense of sounds, letters and words in text to become independent readers. They must read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction materials with comprehension. Elementary students should recognize cause and effect, as well as propaganda techniques. They must also use multiple research sources to locate information and find the answer to questions.
Screening assessments are administered at the beginning of the school year in the early grades. They focus on critical reading skills to predict future reading development. Screening assessments help teachers identify children who may need extra help or alternative instruction.
Diagnostic assessments are given throughout the school year to focus on a student's areas of strengths and weaknesses. Intervention strategies can then be devised so that students become fluent readers by the end of third grade.
Classroom-based instructional assessments, or progress monitoring assessments, are given on a regular basis to identify those students who are not making adequate progress. Additional or varied forms of instruction may be indicated by these assessments.
Outcome assessments determine if students have achieved grade level performance, and if they are improving. Many school districts mandate outcome assessments at various grade levels.
Teachers may administer authentic classroom-based assessments that resemble reading tasks in the real world. Tasks might be to ask students to read real text or discuss books. The thinking process students use to complete the task is taken into consideration when evaluating progress. Working on these authentic tasks is provides learning opportunity for the student and assures the teacher that students working on useful skills and strategies.
Classroom-based performance assessments are used with other forms of reading assessments. A student might be asked to analyze characters, dramatize a story or research a topic. Students present their knowledge by applying learned skills. Performance assessments may take the form of a project with students working in a cooperative group.
The portfolio assessment is another classroom-based technique in which teachers keep a portfolio for each student. Portfolios may contain lists of books read by the student, book reports, photographs of presentations, teacher observations and student self-evaluations. They are reviewed to see how the student progresses over time.