Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of

education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement,
instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Today's students need to know not
only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills that will allow them to face a world
that is continually changing. They must be able to think critically, to analyze, and to make
inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge that students need require new learning
goals; these new learning goals change the relationship between assessment and instruction.
Teachers therefore need to take an active role in making decisions about the purpose of
assessment and the content that is being assessed. This piece of writing will hereby discuss some
of the reasons why it is important to continue assessing learners in Zambian learning institutions.

In education and a school set up in particular, assessment and evaluation go hand in hand and
they are quite inseparable as the two are corollary of each other (Stiggins, 2007). In this case, it
is of great importance to make a clear distinction of the two before talking about them and
mixing them.

Assessment in schools can in simple terms be understood as the process that includes measuring
the improvement of learners over time, motivating students to study, evaluating the teaching
methods and ranking the students' capabilities in relation to the whole group evaluation. It is a
way of finding out how much learning has taken place and how effective the process of learning
has been over a period of time (McMillan, 2015).
On the other hand, evaluation involves identifying and collecting relevant information from the
assessment proceedings, analysing and interpreting the information for learners and then drawing
conclusions for classroom management or classroom decision making. Evaluation simply judges
how the teaching methods implored over a time contributes to children performance in an
assessment, how it depicts the effectiveness of what has been taught and what changes must be
put in place if any (Stiggins, 2007).
Teachers in schools have been and still continue to set exams and tests. This is an example and a
major sign of assessment which the teachers carry out in their classrooms and school at large. In
fact, education in schools is formal and it is in its nature characterized by the awarding of
certificates to students upon completing each level of training. This is one of the many reasons
why assessment is carried out time and again, to find out how the learning is being directed

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towards the qualification for the awarding of the certificates when learners finish the course of
learning (MESVTEE, 2013).
Thus assessment is a tool of communication between teachers and learners on where they are and
where they need to be. Each time a teacher walks into a classroom to teach, each lesson has its
own objective which may be cognitive, affective or manipulative. At the end of each lesson,
topic, unit or chapter, the teacher needs to know how much of the objectives were achieved and
how much were not and to what extent.
In assessment, the teacher makes clear what the learners are expected to understand and know
out of everything they have learnt, and in turn the learners get to know specific things they need
to know and how far they are in the direction of knowing them. This is because the learning
process is vast and rarely specific, it simply cannot be limited to the “must know” only. The
teacher therefore communicates to the learners those specific things which the learners must
know through assessments (Allwright and Bailey, 1991).
Formal education is also characterized by a well-defined curriculum which must be covered
(learnt and taught) at the end of a particular period (MESVTEE, 2013). This curriculum is the
basis and coverage of the universal final examinations by which each learner will be determined
whether or not to be awarded the certificate. It is therefore the role of the teachers to ensure that
their learners are trained in the direction of passing these examinations. Hence they assess the
pupils to prepare and direct them towards passing them.
According to Stiggins, the process of assessing pupils in school also serves a tool for teacher in
reporting to higher authorities like the head of department, head teachers and higher education
officers on how much of the teaching and learning is being done in the classroom (MESVTEE,
2016). Of much greater importance, it is the only way the teacher can communicate with parents
and guardians how their children are advancing or otherwise lagging in their education.
Because of the correlation of assessment and evaluation, the process of assessing learners is the
main tool in the evaluation process. The teacher firstly uses it to evaluate his effectiveness in
teaching and the methods of teaching as in what method works best for his learners. Then the
teachers’ reports are also used by the department and the school at large to evaluate their
education system and hence the whole education system is evaluated from the assessment results
(Allwright, et al 1991).

pg. 2
As stated before, assessment is a process that includes four basic components; measuring the
improvement of learners over time, motivating students to study, evaluating the teaching
methods and ranking the students' capabilities in relation to the whole group evaluation. The
assessments carried out in schools are used to keep track of learners’ improvements over a
specified time. Thus assessment is a basic tool which can be used to study how environment,
family, cultural or social factors affect student retention, performance and understanding of
students in classroom activities, whether the teacher is involved in learners’ performance and
how best the teacher can enhance the learners’ potentials (Nunan, 1999).
In the view of motivation, assessment brings about competition amongst learners, and the
learners are extrinsically motivated to study hard for the tests or exams so as to come out best
and top of class. Meanwhile, those who come last may be demotivated with their being ranked
last in class and the teacher will in turn need to motivate them to work extra hard in the next
assessments. Students tend to be motivated when they are being approved by their teachers and
they become intrinsically motivated - which is part of the basic aims of education (O'Connor,
2009).
Upon measuring the learners’ improvements and motivating them, assessments are a tool for
teachers to evaluate their teaching strategy and methods. The teacher uses the assessments results
to evaluate what works best for his learners and how best he can help them understand
(McMillan, 2015). Evaluation of achievement is the feedback that makes improvement possible.
By means of evaluation, strengths and weaknesses are identified. Evaluation which is a corollary
of assessment, in this sense, is another aspect of learning, one that enables learners to grasp what
they missed previously and the teacher to comprehend what can be done in subsequent lessons to
improve learning.
Furthermore, the results are also used to rank the students. Although this is not the primary aim
of assessment, the truth is that not all learners are equal and hence they have different rates of
understanding concepts. Therefore, it is important for the teacher to identify such students who
need special attention and find ways of helping them (Stiggins, 2007).
In a nutshell, the purpose of classroom assessment and evaluation is to give students the
opportunity to show what they have learned rather than catching them out or to show what they
have not learned. Needless to say, evaluation and assessment can focus on different aspects of
teaching and learning: respectively textbooks and instructional materials, student achievement,

pg. 3
and whole programs of instruction. Therefore, each assessment must have its specific objective.
This means every assessment must clearly define what it aims to achieve.
To Nunan, the primary concern in formal education is whether students attain the objectives of
the course of study or curriculum scope and sequence.

From all that has been mentioned, it is quite clear that in every learning set up teachers must
continue to assess their learners throughout their academic period. Assessment is a powerful form
of accountability and grading (Lund & Veal, 1996). Students’ grades provide evidence of the
extent to which they have mastered learning objectives within the cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor domains (Kovar & Ermler, 1991). In addition, the teachers are able to value records
or proof that they have about how they calculated student grades and so good teaching is
inseparable from good assessing (Wiggins, 1993).

The notion that assessment serves as a learning process for students, peers, and teachers was
highlighted by Veal (1995), who said, “When assessment is part of the teaching and learning phase
of instruction, its primary purpose should be to provide feedback to students and the teacher” (p.
15). Assessment therefore serves the purpose of communication between the teacher and the
learners.

Assessment of student learning provides teachers with information about their effectiveness and
gives direction for future lessons (Dejong et al, 2002). It helps them understand the causal
relationships between their actions and outcomes (Astin, 1991). This means that assessment
enables the teacher to know if his teaching strategies are actually effective, in consideration of the
outcomes exhibited by the learners. Assessing student learning could improve teacher
performance, because teachers are able to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of their
students and their teaching.

Assessment is important because it helps teachers determine if their purpose as an academic

institution educating students is being achieved, explicitly establishes what is of importance, (that
is program goals and objectives), and it sets standards for student achievement. Ultimately,
assessment is a manifestation of the intellectual curiosity of faculty about their programs and is a
part of scholarship and applied research. As such, it can be approached in the spirit of
experimentation and innovation.

pg. 4
Assessment and feedback are crucial for helping people learn. Assessment should mirror good
instruction; happen continuously as part of instruction, and provide information about the levels
of understanding that students are reaching. In order for learners to gain insight into their learning
and their understanding, frequent feedback is critical: students need to monitor their learning and
actively evaluate their strategies and their current levels of understanding. Individuals acquire a
skill much more rapidly if they receive feedback about the correctness of what they have
done. One of the most important roles for assessment is the provision of timely and informative
feedback to students during instruction and learning so that their practice of a skill and its
subsequent acquisition will be effective and efficient.

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Falayalo W. (1986) Philosophy and theory of continuous assessment. A paper

Genesee, F. and J. Upshur (1996) Classroom-Based Evaluation in Second Language Education.

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Kovar, S., & Ermler, K. (1991). Grading: Do you have a hidden agenda? Strategies, 4(5), 12-24.

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