Assessment and evaluation are two distinct but interconnected domains in education. Assessment focuses on measuring individual student learning; evaluation focuses on judging the quality and effectiveness of educational programs, curricula, and institutions. ED5146 develops competence in both domains, providing educators with the knowledge and skills to design effective assessments, interpret data meaningfully, and use evidence to drive improvement at both classroom and program levels.
Fundamentals of student assessment
The assessment knowledge base every educator needs
- Assessment purposes: ED5146 develops a clear understanding of the different purposes assessment serves — diagnostic (identifying what learners already know and where gaps exist before instruction), formative (providing ongoing feedback during instruction to guide teaching and learning adjustments), and summative (evaluating what learners have achieved at the end of a unit, course, or program) — and how the purpose of an assessment should drive its design, administration, and use
- Validity and reliability: The course covers the psychometric foundations of assessment quality — validity (the degree to which an assessment measures what it claims to measure) and reliability (the degree to which an assessment produces consistent results) — including content validity, construct validity, criterion-related validity, internal consistency reliability, and inter-rater reliability
- Assessment design: ED5146 develops practical skills in designing assessments that are aligned with learning standards and objectives, including selected-response items (multiple-choice, true-false, matching), constructed-response items (short answer, essay), and performance-based assessments (projects, portfolios, demonstrations, presentations)
Formative assessment and feedback
The research literature on formative assessment — particularly Black and Wiliam's (1998) landmark review "Inside the Black Box" — demonstrates that effective formative assessment practices produce some of the largest learning gains of any educational intervention. ED5146 develops the knowledge and skills to implement formative assessment effectively, including techniques for eliciting evidence of student understanding (questioning strategies, exit tickets, think-alouds, concept maps, peer assessment), providing actionable feedback that helps learners close the gap between current and desired performance, and using formative assessment data to adjust instruction in real time. The course also addresses the distinction between formative assessment as a practice (ongoing, embedded in instruction, focused on learning improvement) and formative assessment as a test format (interim assessments or benchmark tests given periodically) — a distinction that has significant implications for how assessment data is collected, interpreted, and used.
Program evaluation
ED5146 introduces the principles of educational program evaluation — the systematic process of collecting and analyzing evidence to determine the quality, effectiveness, or value of an educational program, policy, initiative, or intervention. The course covers major evaluation approaches including Stufflebeam's CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) model, Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation framework (reaction, learning, behavior, results), and logic model development (the visual representation of a program's theory of change showing the connections between inputs, activities, outputs, short-term outcomes, and long-term impact). The course develops practical skills in designing evaluation plans, developing evaluation questions, selecting appropriate data collection methods (surveys, interviews, focus groups, document analysis, observation), and reporting evaluation findings to stakeholders in actionable formats.
Data-driven decision making and accountability
ED5146 addresses the use of assessment and evaluation data for educational decision making and accountability. The course covers data literacy skills — the ability to read, interpret, and communicate data from standardized tests, classroom assessments, program evaluations, and institutional research — that are increasingly essential for educators at all levels. The course examines how data is used in accountability systems (standardized testing, school report cards, accreditation reviews, program approval processes) and how educators can use data productively for improvement rather than merely for compliance. The course also addresses the ethical dimensions of assessment and evaluation, including issues of fairness and bias in assessment design, appropriate and inappropriate uses of test scores, the tension between accountability and improvement purposes, and the responsibilities of educators who design, administer, and interpret assessments.
ED5146 assignments include assessment design projects, evaluation plans, data analysis reports, and rubric development
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Frequently asked questions
Assessment and evaluation are related but distinct concepts that ED5146 carefully differentiates. Assessment refers to the process of gathering, interpreting, and using evidence about student learning — it is focused on individual learners and their learning progress, and its primary audience is teachers and students themselves. Assessment answers questions like "What has this student learned?" "Where are this student's strengths and gaps?" and "How can instruction be adjusted to better support this student's learning?" Evaluation refers to the process of making judgments about the quality, effectiveness, or value of educational programs, curricula, policies, or institutions — it is focused on the educational system rather than individual learners, and its primary audience is decision makers (administrators, school boards, policymakers, accreditors). Evaluation answers questions like "Is this reading program effective?" "Are graduates of this teacher preparation program well-prepared for the classroom?" and "Is this school meeting the needs of its students?" While assessment and evaluation use many of the same data collection methods (tests, observations, surveys, document analysis) and both involve systematic evidence-based inquiry, they serve different purposes and require different analytical frameworks. ED5146 develops competence in both domains because effective educators need both: the ability to assess individual student learning and use that information to improve instruction, and the ability to evaluate the programs and systems in which they work and contribute to evidence-based improvement at the organizational level.