Definition - What does Learning Assessment mean?
A learning assessment is a method used to evaluate and measure a student's performance in the learning environment. An initial learning assessment, such as an aptitude test, may be used to measure an individual's ability to learn. Once a student has participated in a specific class or course of study, learning assessments may be used to evaluate his or her progress during the course. Learning assessments, such as final exams or term papers, may be used at the end of a class or course of study to measure students' knowledge acquisition. In the workplace, learning assessments are sometimes incorporated in employment testing for specific positions.
SureHire explains Learning Assessment
Learning assessments serve a number of purposes in both the academic and vocational setting. Learning assessments can be used for pre-education or ongoing evaluation purposes. Often some form of learning assessment is required before a student may be assigned a grade or awarded a certification for a class or course of study.
Pre-study learning assessments may be used to determine a student's learning style or aptitudes. An assessment may be used to determine whether a specific student will be able to learn well in a certain learning environment, such as through a vocational or distance learning program. Within the instructional setting, three primary types of learning assessments used. Formative assessments measure an individual's performance against set learning goals. These goals may be determined by the student or provided as part of a standard rubric for the course. Formative and formative diagnostic assessments may be conducted at regular intervals during a class or course to assess a student's progress and retention of new information. Tests, quizzes or question and answer sessions are all formative assessments.
An interim or benchmark assessment is similar to a formative assessment but is intended to provide a more comprehensive view of student performance. An interim assessment allows an instructor to assess the student's performance to date in a class. Quarterly or mid-term exams are examples of interim or benchmark assessments.
Finally, a summative assessment is used to measure student performance against a set of existing standards. These assessments may take place at the end of a study unit or end of year. A summative assessment allows instructors to determine the effectiveness of a chosen curricula or teaching method. The goal of the summative assessment is to determine whether the chosen instructional method results in a desired level of learning on the part of the students being assessed. Summuative assessments are often standardized to allow for year to year and class to class comparisons.
