designing alternative techniques and tools to assess high school students’ competency to meet the requirements of the new general educational program

Nghe an department of education and training
Hµ HUY TËP HIGH school

----------

TEACHING INNOVATION
DESIGNING ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES AND
TOOLS TO ASSESS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’
COMPETENCY TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE NEW GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

Subject: English
Author: NGUYỄN THANH TRÀ
School: Hà Huy Tập High School
Cell phone: 0916070905
Email:

School year: 2020-2021


TABLE OF CONTENT
PART 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................... 1
1.1. Rationale............................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Aims of the study ............................................................................................... 2
1.3. Scope of the study .............................................................................................. 2
1.4. Organization of the study ................................................................................... 3
PART 2: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BACKGROUND.................... 4
2.1. The New General Educational Program ............................................................ 4
2.2. Situation judgment ............................................................................................. 4
2.3. Assessment ......................................................................................................... 5
2.4. Approaches to assessment .................................................................................. 5

2.5. Types of Assessment .......................................................................................... 7
2.5.1. Formative Assessment .................................................................................... 8
2.5.2. Summative Assessment ................................................................................... 8
2.6. Methods of Assessment...................................................................................... 9
2.7. Levels of Assessment ....................................................................................... 11
2.8. Tools and Techniques for Assessments ........................................................... 13
2.8.1. Tools and Techniques for Formative Assessment ........................................ 14
2.8.2. Tools and Techniques for Formative Assessment ........................................ 16
PART 3: SOLUTION AND DISCUSSION ........................................................ 18
3.1. Demonstration of Using Tools and Techniques for Assessment ..................... 18
3.1.1. Tools and Techniques for Formative Assessments ....................................... 18
3.1.2. Tools and Techniques for Summative Assessments ..................................... 30
3.2. Discussion ........................................................................................................ 32
3.2.1. Finding from Teachers’ Questionnaire ......................................................... 32
3.2.2. Finding from Stusents’ Questionnaire .......................................................... 35
PART 4: CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 40
4.1. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 40
4.2. Teaching Implications ...................................................................................... 40
4.3. Limitation ......................................................................................................... 41
REFERENCE ........................................................................................................ 42
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... 44


LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Nature of Asessment ................................................................................ 7
Table 2.2. Links Among Achievement Targets and Assessment Methods ............ 12
Table 2.3. Tools for Formative Assessment ........................................................... 16
Table 3.1: A Sample of Checklist Tool for Speaking Skills Assessment ............... 19
Table 3.2: A Sample of Checklist Tool for Writing Skills Assessment ................. 20
Table 3.3: Tools for Assessment Used by Teachers ............................................... 33

Table 3.4: Students’ Response about Tools for Assessment Used by Teachers..... 35
Table 3.5: The Frequency of Feedback Given by Teachers ................................... 37


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: Types of Assessment .............................................................................. 9
Figure 2.2: Tools Suggested .................................................................................... 14
Figure 3.1: Bloom’s Taxanomy .............................................................................. 24
Figure 3.2: Types of Assessment Used by Teachers .............................................. 32
Figure 3.3: Teachers' Confirmation about Students' Feedback about Assessment. 33
Figure 3.4: Teachers’ Response about Students’ Reaction in Assessment............. 34
Figure 3.5: Teachers’ Response about Their Assessment ...................................... 34
Figure 3.6: Students' Reaction about the Way Being Assessed .............................. 36
Figure 3.7: Students' Mood of Being Assessed ...................................................... 36
Figure 3.8: Students' Response about Teachers' Assessment ................................. 37
Figure 3.9: Response about the Use of Feedback for Learning Progress ............... 38


PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
English is a mandatory subject from grade three to grade twelve of general
educational program. General educational program is on the whole competency
designed. As a result, this subject equips students not only communicative
competence but also skills, abilities and attitudes related to the field of knowledge.
The new general educational program in subject of English follows the regulations
setting in general eductional program of Ministry of Education and Training. The
new point of building curriculum is the backward design. It focuses on setting
objectives from which enables teachers to identify requirements about learning
outcomes. Afterward, from the outcomes they can choose or suggest content of

teaching.
As far as we see, assessment of learners’ studying result is one of the
requirements of the new gerenal eductional program. Assessments are key
components of all education system and play a major role in a student learning
journey. It becomes the bridge between the teaching and learning process. By
measuring students’s achievement and skill mastery, assessment not only
facilitates the students to learn but also helps teachers to select teaching
approaches. Furthermore, administration can decide how to allocate resources and
policymaker can evaluate the efficacy of education program. Analyzing students
how they can understand and are able to give output in all the subjects is
assessment. Assessment is very significant to track progress and to plan next steps.
The various techniques involved in assessment are the tools and instruments to
collect information about how the students can demonstrate desired learning
outcomes.
The first thing that comes to mind for many people when they think of
“classroom assessment” is a midterm or end-of-course exam, used by the teacher
for summative grading purposes. But such practices represent only a fraction of the
kinds of assessment that occur on an ongoing basis in an effective classroom. The
focus in this section is on assessments used by teachers to support instruction and
learning, also referred to as formative assessment. Such assessment offers
considerable potential for improving student learning when informed by research
and theory on how students develop subject matter competence.
As instruction is occurring, teachers need information to evaluate whether
their teaching strategies are working. They also need information about the current
understanding of individual students and groups of students so they can identify
the most appropriate next steps for instruction. Moreover, students need feedback
to monitor their own success in learning.
In the classroom, teachers are the primary assessors of the students.
Teachers design assessment tools with two broad purposes: to collect information
1

that will inform classroom instruction, and to monitor students’ progress towards
achieving year-end learning outcomes. Teachers also assist students in developing
self-monitoring and self-assessment skills and strategies. In order to do this
effectively, teachers must ensure that students are involved in setting learning
goals, developing action plans, and using assessment process to monitor their
achievement of goals. Obviously, there are a number of methods used to evaluate
student learning outcomes. However, the most common way that teachers prefer
using is the standard test. The test is recognized as the most direct mean of
assessing student in the field of knowledge. Nevertheless, it seems not to meet the
requirement of the new general education program. The course result of students
basing on the scrore they have after the tests is a key basis of data about the
achievement of the students. This data is not sufficient for the measurement of
student’s learning outcomes. They also need to be assessed about their skills and
atttitude as well as the way they can form their self-learning ability.
Student assessment is pervasive in schools, yet few preservice programs for
educational professions require substantive course in assessment. Like a good tool
or a machine, a good measuring instrument must meet certain minimum
requirements before it is deemed to be reliable. What are the essential
characteristics and requirements of a good measuring instrument? These are
planning, vadility, reliability, objectivity, discriminating power, adequacy,
practically, comparability and utility. As a result, using only one instrument in
assessment seems not to be able to cover all requirements setting by the new
general educational program.
The matter of fact I mentioned above inspired me to choose the topic
DESIGNING ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS TO ASSESS
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ COMPETENCY TO MEET THE
REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEW GENERAL EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAM. Hopefully with the suggested techniques and tools, teachers can use

them as a source of reference in their teaching process.
1.2. Aims of the study
The aims of the study are as follows:
- To provide a brief review of various assessment techniques and tools used to
analyze students’ achievement and progress.
- To suggest some techniques and tools using to assess learners
- To explore the perception of teachers and learners to these techniques and tools in
practice
1.3. Scope of the study
The study pays a focus on the techniques and tools which are used to assess both
strength anh weakness for students at upper secondary level. Therefore, the study
2


was conducted on the subject of teachers and learners coming from some high
schools in Vinh city.
1.4. Organization of the study
The study will consist of the following parts:
Part 1: Introduction
This part consists of the rationale, aims, scope, and organization of the
study.
Part 2: Theoretical Background
This part mentions the theoretical background of the topic with an overview
of the new program requirement as well as the tools and techniques used to assess
the learners’ achivement and process. It also suggests some techniques and tools
used to evaluate students’ demonstration of skills and knowledge, their
performance and products as well as their attitude during learning process. The
application of these techniques and tools was on the scale of units for students at
high school. Additionally, the perception of teachers and learners to these
techniques and tools will be discussed and identified.

Part 3: Solution and Discussion
Solution and Discussion shows a demonstration of assessments using
suggested tools and techniques. The data collected from the study will be discussed
more in detail in this part.
Part 4: Conclusion
In order to convey an overall conclusion of the study, Conclusion reviews
the main findings of the study. As for the implication of the study, some
suggestions are recommended to contribute to the success of assessing students’
outcomes.

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PART 2: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BACKGROUND
2.1. The New General Educational Program
English is one of the core subjects in the new genreral educational program.
One of the fundamental directions of education reform is the transition from
academic education to a practical education which focuses on shaping the capacity
for action, creativity of the learners and the transition from the accessibly content
curriculum to the learner's ability approach. The new program emphasizes on the
important orientation of innovation in teaching methodology which foster the
positive self-awareness and creativity, develop the capacity for action and capacity
for working collaborators of learners. In Prime Minister's Decision No. 711 / QDTTg dated 13 June 2012, it is stated that “Changing teaching methods and
evaluating learning outcomes, training in the direction of promoting positive selfawareness, active initiative and self-learning capacity of learners”.
In term of developing the learner’s ability approach, the teachers will not focus too
much to the content of teaching. In stead, they try to attach special importance to
develop learners’ ability. As a result, the studying activities consists of activities of
identifying problems, practice activities and application activities. It means that
learners must use what they learn to discover and solve problems in real life. These
activities can be organized in classroom as well as outside the classroom through

some main ways such as studying theory, doing exercise, doing experiments,
playing games, role playing, doing projects, attending seminar, having field trip,
reading books, joining volunteer work. Students may work independently, in group
or with the whole class.
With the aim of innovating, the way of learning and teaching has a dialectic
relationship with learners’ outcomes assessment. Teachers take the responsibility
to change their way of evaluating the learners in many aspects in order to meet the
requirement of the new educational program.
2.2. Situation judgment
Beside the effort of renovating teaching and learning methods, the new
program highlights the significance of assessing the learners’ outcomes. The first
change is that students’ achievement is evaluated based on regular tests and
periodical tests. The tests are made on four skills of reading, speaking, listening
and writing. Also, they are designed using multiple choice questions and written
form questions. While assessment is often equated with traditional tests developed
by teachers at high school, educators should use a diverse array of assessment tools
and techniques to measure everything from a high school student. Just as academic
lessons have different functions, assessments are typically desinged to measure
specific elements of learning – e.g, the level of knowledge a student already has
about the concept or skill the teacher is planning to teach or the ability to
comprehend and analyze different types of texts and readings. Assessments also

4


are used to identify individual students’ weaknesses and strengths so that teacher
can provide specialized academic support.
Obviously, traditional test is not the only choice for teachers in assessment. It can
take a wide variety of forms in schools and education systems. Additionally,
students should be made aware of the expected outcomes of the course and the

procedures to be used in assessing performance relative to the learning outcomes.
They can gradually become more actively involved in the assessment process in
order to develop lifelong learning skills.
2.3. Assessment
According to Allen (2004), assessment involves the use of empirical data on
student learning to refine programs and improve student learning. Assessment in
education is the process of gathering, interpreting, recording, and using
information about pupils’ responses to an educational task (Harlen, Gipps,
Broadfoot, Nuttal, 1992)
Assessment is defined as the evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality
or ability of someone or something. In education, assessment refers to the wide
variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document
the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of
students. Assessment is a systematic process of gathering information about what a
student knows, is able to do, and is learning to do. Assessment information
provides the foundation for decision making and planing for instruction and
learning. It is an integral part of instruction that enhances, empowers, and celebrate
student learning. In other words, using a variety of assessment techniques, teachers
can gather information about what students know and are able to do and provide
positive, supportive feedback to students. They also use this information to
diagnose individual needs and to improve their instructional programs which in
turn helps students learn more effectively.
Assessment must be considered during the planning stage of instruction
when outcomes and teaching methods are being targeted. It is a continuous
activity, not something to be dealt with only at the end of a unit of study.
2.4. Approaches to assessment


Assessment for learning

Assessment for learning occurs throughout the learning process. It is designed with
the aim to make each stusents’s understanding visible, so that teachers can decide
to provide useful help for students in learning process. Students learn in individual
and idiosyncratic ways, yet, at the same time, there are predictable patterns of
connections and preconceptions that some students may experience as they move
along the continuum from emergent proficient.
In this stage, assessement can be seen as an investigative tool to find out as much
as possible about what students know and can do, also what confusions,
preconceptions or gaps they might have. The wide variety of information collected
from students’ learning process will help teachers to determine the next step to
5


move student learning forward. In other words, it provides the basis for giving
descriptive feedback for students and deciding on groupings, instructional
strategies as well as resources.
In short, Asessment for learning enables teachers to use information about
students’ knowledge, understanding and skills to inform their teaching. It also
helps teachers to provide feedback to students about their learning and how to
improve.


Assessment as learning

Assessment as learning focuses on students. It emphasizes the process of
metacognition for students. It involves students in learning process where they
monitor their own progress, ask questions and practice skills. Students use selfassessment and teacher feedback to reflect on their learning, consolidate their
understanding and work towards learning goals.
Within this view of learning, students are the critical connectors between
assessment and learning. For students to be actively engaged in creating their

own understanding, they must learn to be critical assessors who make sense of
information, relate it to prior knowledge, and use it for new learning.
This is the regulatory process in metacognition; that is, students become adept at
personally monitoring what they are learning, and use what they discover from the
monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations, and even major changes in their
thinking.
 Assessment of learning
Assessment of learning refers to strategies designed to confirm what students
know, demonstrate whether or not they have curriculum outcomes or the goals of
their individualized programs, or to certify proficiency and make decisions about
students’ future programs or placements. It is designed to provide evidence of
achievement to parents, other educators, the students themselves, and sometimes to
outside group such as employers, other educational institutions. It is the assessment
that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students
are learning. Assessment of learning becomes significant then when it assists
teachers to use evidence of student learning to assess students’ achievement against
learning goal and stardard.
Obviously, each approach has it main goal. The teacher therefore should
identify the nature of assessment from which they can provide appropriate
evaluation to learners. The table below will demonstrate the nature of three
approaches in assessment.
Nature of assessment
Description
 Purpose:

Assessment for learning

Determine student’s background knowledge and
skills; tracks student’s progress in understanding
-

6


- Provide information on what and how to
improve achievement
- Identify and respond to student need
 Primary users:
Teachers, students, and parents
 Exploitation: During learning
 Process: Continuous
Assessment as learning

 Purpose:
- Develop students’ skills of metacognition,
critical thinking skills, communication and
interpersonal skills
- Monitor what have learnt, use them to make
adjustment, adaptations and changes in thinking
 Primary users:
Teachers, students
 Exploitation: During learning
 Process: Continuous

Assessment of learning

 Purpose:
- Certify student competence
- Rank and sort students
- Used as document achievement of standard

 Primary users:
Teachers, principals, supervisors,
planners and policy makers

program

Table 2.1: Nature of Asessment
2.5. Types of Assessment
Paul Black, an assessment expert said that “When the cook tastes the soup,
that is formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that is summative
assessment. In other words, formative assessments are for learning, while
summative assessments are of learning.
From the approaches of assessment, the focus is on the process of
assessment for learning and assessment of learning. Assessment for learning is
formative, and involves both teachers and students in ongoing dialogue, descriptive
feedback, and reflection throughout instruction. Assessment of learning is
summative, and involves dertermining the quality of the learning that has take
place at the end of a unit or theme, term, semester, or school year. Specific learning
7


outcomes and stardards are reference points, and grade levels may be the
benchmarks for reporting.
2.5.1. Formative Assessment
It is reported that Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods
that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension,
learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative
assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to
understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they
have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional

techniques, and academic support.
The general goal of formative assessment is to collect detailed information
that can be used to improve instruction and student learning while it is happening.
What makes an assessment “formative” is not the design of a test, technique, or
self-evaluation but the way it is used to inform in-process teaching and learning
modifications. It is believed that formative assessment is an integral part of
effective teaching.
According to the glosary of education reform, educators may use formative
assessment to:
 Refocus students on the learning process and its intrinsic value, rather than
on grades or extrinsic rewards.
 Encourage students to build on their strengths rather than fixate or dwell on
their deficits.
 Help students become more aware of their learning needs, strengths, and
interests so they can take greater responsibility over their own educational
growth. For example, students may learn how to self-assess their own
progress and self-regulate their behaviors.
 Give students more detailed, precise, and useful information. Formative
feedback can help to clarify and calibrate learning expectations for both
students and parents. Students gain a clearer understanding of what is
expected of them and parents have more detailed information they can use
more effectively support their child’s education.
 Raise or accelerate the educational achievement of all students, while also
reducing learning gaps and achievement gaps.
2.5.2. Summative Assessment
Summative assessments are commonly contrasted with formative
assessments. They are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and
academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or a school year.
Generally, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria:
 The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students

have learnt what they were expected to learn.
8


 Summative assessments are given at the conclusion of a specific instructional
period, and therefore they are generally evaluative, rather than diagnostic.
They are more appropriately used to dertemine learning progress and
achievement, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, measure
progress toward improvement goals, or make course-placement decisions,
among other possible applications.
 Summative assessments results are often recorded as scores or grades that
are then factored into a students’s permanent academic record, whether they
end up as letter grades on a report card or test score used in the collegeadmissions process.
In short, types of assessment can be illustrated in the figure below:

Formative
assessment

Types of
Assessment
Summative
assessment

Figure 2.1: Types of Assessment
2.6. Methods of Assessment
Richard Stinggins, Jundy Anter, Jan Chappius and Steve Chappius state in
their study that although the variations of assessment are endless, they fall into one
of four basic categories of methods:
1. Selected response and short answer
2. Extended written response

3. Performance assessment
4. Personal communication
All four methods are legitimate options when their use correlates highly with the
learning target and the intended use of the information.
 Selected Response
Selected response and short answer method consist of those in which students
select the correct or best response from a list provided. Formats include multiple
choice, true/false, matching, short answer, and fill-in questions. For all selected
9


reponse assessments, students’ scores are figured as the number of proportion
questions answered correctly.
 Extended Written Respose
Extended written response assessment required students to construct a written
answer in response to a question or task rather than select one from a list. An
extended written response is one that is at least several sentences in length.
Examples include the following:
- Compare pieces of literature, solutions to environmental problems, or
economic events.
- Analyze artwork, forms of government or solutions to problems.
- Solve a mathematics problem and show and explain all work.
- Describe in detail a scientific, mathematical, or economics progress or
principle, such as how supply and demand work.
Correctness of extended written responses is judged by applying one of two
types of predetermined scoring criteria. One type gives points for specific pieces of
information that are present. The second type of criteria can take the form of a
rubric, such as a general rubric for making comparisons, which can be applied to
any exercise calling for comparison. Scores therefore also take one of two forms:
number or percentage of points attained, or rubric scores.

 Performance Assessment
Performance assessment is assessment based on observation and judgment; we
look at a performance or product and make a judgment as to its quality. Examples
include the following:
- Complex performances such as playing a musical instrument, carrying out
the steps in a scientific experiment, speaking a foreign language, reading
aloud with fluency, repairing an engine, working productively in a group. In
these cases, it is the doing the process that is important.
- Creating complex products such as a term paper, a lab report, or a work of
art.
In these cases, what counts is not so much the process of creation (although that
may be evaluated, too), but the level of quality of the product itself. As with
extended written response assessments, performance assessments have two parts: a
perforrmance task or exercise and a scoring guide. Again, the scoring guide can
award points for specific features of a performance or product that are present, or it
can take form of a rubric, in which levels of quality are described. For example, to
assess the ability to do a simple process, points might be awarded for each step
done in the correct order. For complex processes of products, teachers might have
a rubric for judging quality that has several dimensions, such as ideas,
organization, voice, choice, sentence fluency and conventions in writing, or
content, organization, presentation, and use of language in oral presentation.
10


Again, scores could be reported in number or percent of points earned, or in terms
of a rubric score.
 Personal Communication
Personal communication involves in gathering information about students
through personal communication. We find out what students have learned through
interacting with them. The following activities can be the process of personal

communication assessment:
-

Looking at and responding to students’s comments in journals and logs
Saking questions during instruction
Interviewing students in conferences
Listening to students as they participate in class
Giving examinations orally (this step should be seen as informal assessment
in which results are recored for later use)

As long as the learning target and criteria for judging response quality are clear,
information gathered via personal communication can be used to provide
descriptive feedback to students, for instructional planning, and for student selfreflection and goal setting. If planned well and recorded systematically,
information from personal communication can be used as the basis for assessments
of learning. Student responses are evaluated in one of two ways. Sometimes the
questions asked require students to provide a simple, short answer, and all we’re
looking for is whether the answer is correct or incorrect. This is parallel to scoring
for written selected response questions. Questions during instruction usually call
for these short answer oral responses. Other times, student oral responses are
longer and more complex, parallel to extended written response questions. Just as
with extended written response, we evaluate the quality of oral responses using a
rubric or scoring guide. Longer, more complicated responses would occur, for
example, during oral examination or oral presentations.
2.7. Levels of Assessment
In order to exploit appropriate assessment tools and techniques, teachers have to
establish that assessments must be designed to reflect the variety of achievement
target. In other words, teachers should bear in mind what to assess or what the
learning targets are.
 Assessing Student Mastery of Content Knowledge
You want your students to master specific subject matter knowledge because it

represents an important foundation for later work. You plan a series of
instructional activities to help your sudents reach this goal. Now you want to assess
to be surethey have got it. In this particular case, you want them to know the
material outright, not through the use of reference material.
 Assessing Reasoning Proficiency
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You are a teacher who confirmed that your students are able to access important
knowledge when required. Now you want to see if they can use that knowledge
productively to solve relevant problems. You want to see if they can reason
analytically (think about the parts of things) and comparatively (think in terms of
similarities and differences), draw inferences, and think critically (take and defend
a position on an issue, for example)
 Assessing Mastery of Skills
You teach a foreign languge and wish to assess your students’ skill at
communicating in that language in a conversational situation. Hence, the skill of
oral language proficiency is your target.
 Assessing the Ability to Create Quality Products
You want your students to be able to create quality products which meet certain
standards. They might be samples of writing, term papers, or others. Your
instruction has centered on helping students learn the differences between products
that are of high and low quality. You have provided practice in developing
products that meet your standards. Now it is time to assess the students’
achievement to see if your instruction was effective.
Table 2.2. Links Among Achievement Targets and Assessment Methods
Target to be
assessed

Assessment method

Selected
Response

Extended
Response

Knowledge
Mastery

Good match
for assessing
mastery
of
elements of
knowledge.

Reasoning
Proficiency

Good match
only
for
assessing
understanding
of
some
patterns
of
reasoning.

Good match
for tapping
under
standing of
relationships
among
elements of
knowledge.
Written
descriptions
of complex
problem
solutions can
provide
a
window into
reasoning
proficiency.

Performance
Personal
Assessment Communication
Not a good
match – to
time
consuming to
cover
everything.

Can

ask
questions,
evaluate answers
and
infer
mastery – but a
time consuming

Can
watch
students
solve
problems and
infer
reasoning
proficiency

Can ask students
to “think aloud”
or
can
ask
follow
up
questions
to
probe reasoning.

12

Performance Not a good match. Can
Skills
assess mastery of the
knowledge prerequisites to
skillful performance, but can
not rely on these to tap the
skill itself.
Ability to
Not a good Strong
create
match. Can match when
Products
assess
product
is
mastery
of written. Not
knowledge
a
good
prerequisites match when
to the ability product
is
to
create. not written.
quality
products, but
cannot use to
assess

the
quality
of
products
themselves.

Good match.
Can observe
and evaluate
skills as they
are
being
performed.
Good match.
Can
assess
the attributes
of
the
product
itself.

Strong
match
when skill is oral
communication
proficiency; not
a good match
otherwise.
Not a good

match.

Source: Adapted from Student-Involved Assessment for Learning, 4th ed. (p.69), by R.J.
Stiggins, 2005, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Copyright ©2005 by
Pearson Education, Inc, Adapted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc.

As can be seen, one of the values in classifying assessments using
appropriate method is that teacher can think clearly about how to assess what we
are teaching. The heart of accuracy in classroom assessment revolves around
matching different kinds of achievement targets with all the forms and nuances of
each in selected and appropriate method.
2.8. Tools and Techniques for Assessments
As mentioned above, formative assessment and summative assessment are
two overlapping and complementary ways of assessing learner progress in schools.
While the common goal is to establish the development, strengths and weaknesses
of each student, each type of assessment provides different insights and actions for
educators. The key to assessment practice is to understand what each method
contributes to the end goals which are to improve school attainment levels and
individual students’ learning and to maximize the effectiveness of each.
Both terms are ubiquitous, yet teachers sometimes lack clarify around the
most effective types of summative assessment and more creative methods of
formative assessment. This study, therefore tries to suggest a list of tools and
techniques which seems to be appropriate in many situations to assess to high
school students’ competency.
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In term of keys to assessment quality, three of them should be considered. The first
key is known at the outset how we intend to use assessment results. In the second
key to quality, teachers have established that assessments must be designed to

reflect the variety of achievement targets. In addition, the third key to classroom
assessment quality is how to design assessment tools that cover our targets and
serve our purposes.
Obviously, there is a wide range of tools which can be used for each type of
assessment. In fact, each one serves some major objectives in assessment. In this
study, 12 tools are suggested to assess students and their learning progress. These
tools are introduced because they seem to illustrate their position of strength and
flexibility in many activities of assessment. Teachers can adapt them or use their
variations while assessing their students.
Tools Suggested
Summative Assessment
End-of Unit or Chapter Test

Formative Assessent
Quiz
Rubric

End-of-Term or Midterm Exams
Field Trip
Final Project
Discussion Forums
Standardized Test

Student Compposed
Question
Concept Map
Peer Assessment
Self-Assessment

Figure 2.2: Tools Suggested

2.8.1. Tools and Techniques for Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is more diagnostic than evaluation. It is used to
monitor learner learning style and ability, to provide ongoing feedback and allow
educators to improve and adjust their teaching methods and for students to improve
and adjust their teaching methods and for students to improve their learning. Most
formative assessment strategies are quick to use and fit seamlessly into the
instruction process. The information gathered is not often marked or graded. In
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other words, they are low stakes assessments that happen early and often in the
semester. Descriptive feedback may accompany formative assessment to let
students know whether they have master an outcone or whether they require more
practice.
Tools for Formative Assessment - Teachniques to Check for Understanding Processing Activities
1. Quizzes
-Assess students for factual information, concepts and
discrete skill. There is usually a single best answer. Some
quiz examples are:

2. Rubrics

3. Field Trips

 Multiple Choice
 True/False
 Short answer
 Paper and Pencil
 Matching
 Extended Response

- Collect data about students during a unit of study.
Before begginning a new unit, make a list of all the skills
students will need to demonstrate mastery of the unit’s
outcomes.
- Allow a student or the teacher to note whether the key
requirments of the assignment have been successful
completed.
- Tools that can help to clarify the assessment task and the
feedback associated with it.
- The resulting judgment of quality based on a rubric
therefore also contains within it a description of
performance that can be used for feedback and teaching.
- Get students out of the traditional classroom setting into
a new mode of learning.
- Expand not only students’ learning and experience, but
also increase students’ knowledge and understanding of
the world.
- Enhance student’s understanding of the subject taught.
- Evaluate the learning through eperimential learning.

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4. Discussion Forums - Create a discussion forum for each week to discuss
certain themes and topics
- Provide interesting or challenging topics with students
- Also engage with the foorums yourself to answer any
uncertainties or point students to further resources
- Have pre/post seminar discussions-students can discuss
seminar material online in preparation or reflection.

5. Student Composed - Have students write “test” questions, compose the
Questions
questions and possible answers. They should think about
what questions and possible answers.
- Read through the questions and answers to get a feel for
what what the students have learned about a topic.
- Use the questions as prompts for class discussions or
have students exchange their question sheets.
6. Concept Maps
- Provide a visual representation of student understanding
about a particular topic being studied.
- Help students visualize various connection between
words or phrases and a main idea.
- Help students develop creative responses to problem
solving, to retain new information, to assist in general
writing, and to explore social and disciplinary problem
- Gather information about students and their learning
- Assess the work of student’s classmates by using a set of
criteria
- Can be used in different subject areas
8. Self-Assessments
- Involve students reflecting about their own learning in
relation to unit goals or outcomes
- Include questions that deal with student understanding
about the topic and with the identification of area that
need more information or more practice
- Ask students about their learning and the information
can be used to help plan future instruction
Table 2.3. Tools for Formative Assessment
2.8.2. Tools and Techniques for Summative Assessment

Summative assessment aims to evaluate students’ learning and academic
achievement at the end of a term, year or semester by comparing it against a
universal standard or school benchmark. Summative assessments often have a high
point value, take place under controlled conditions, and therefore have more
visibility.
Summative assessment tools can be:
7. Peer Assessments

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




End-of-term or Midterm Exams
End-of unit or chapter Tests
Cumulative work over an extended period such as a final project
Standardised tests that demonstrate school accountability are used for pupil
admissions; SATs, GCSEs

Obviously, there have been a variety of tools that can be used for assessment.
However, with intended selection, these tools are suggested to exploit in reality of
teaching and learning process at high school because they seem to be among the
most efficient and useful resoures. They may support teachers in their journey
toward creating a classroom that facilitate student learning using differentiation.

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PART 3: SOLUTION AND DISCUSSION
On the basis of some theoretical background presented in part 2, the study
was done to investigate the reality of using some suggested tools and techniques to
assess high school students’ competency. This part outlines the models exploited to
collect data in reality. It, therefore, includes the description of the research
orientation, characteristics of participants, data collection instruments and the
procedure of data analysis. Basically, the survey was conducted with descriptive
statistics as the evidence for the study. In addition, questionnaires for students and
teachers were used as as supporting methods to supply extra information.
3.1. Demonstration of Using Tools and Techniques for Assessment
3.1.1. Tools and Techniques for Formative Assessments
 Quizzes
Quiz seems to be a fantastic activity. Not only are quizzes fun for students,
they are also a sneaky form of learning as they do not feel like a traditional
activity. Quizzes can help your students practise existing knowledge while
stimulating interest in learning about new subject matter. For example, once
students have completed a topic, a quiz can help on what they have covered.

It is a fun way to end a lesson, while showing the teacher if there are any
gaps or areas they need to cover again in more depth. Leaving the answers openended can produce some some great results. On the other hand, to help students
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prepare for an uncoming exam or test, a quiz can be a good idea to highlight any
gaps in learning. It will also creat a template of keywords and phrases for students
to memorize. Ten keywords or sentences is a lot easier to remember as a guide, and
seems far less daunting than having to revise the whole topic. The quiz above was
designed for the students after they had finished a unit in the textbook.
Source for assessment: Tieng Anh 11 1st episode Unit 5: Being Part of ASEAN

Page 58-69 (New material) (See Appendix 4)
 Rubrics
Rubric is described as a set of criteria or guidelines that can be used to assess
one’s work or success of of a task. Two primary components of rubric are criteria and
standards which are known as scoring scales. Criteria “describes what is valued, and
standards describe the level of achievement and task involvement in reaching that
level” (Orlich, Harder, Callanhan, Trevisan, & Brown, 2010, p.347). Rubrics, like any
other tool, are useful for certain purposes and impractical in others. The major purpose
of assessment rubrics is to assess performance. Teacher can whether observe the
process of doing something (for example, oral communication or presentation) or
observe the product that is the result of students’ work (for example, essay, term paper
or project) (Brookhart, 2013). Checklist is one of four main types of assessment rubrics.
Classroom checklists are a great tool for collecting data about students during a unit of
study. Before begginning a new unit, make a list of all the skills students will need to
demonstrate mastery of the unit’s outcomes. On a chart, list the students’ name down
the left-hand side and the skills across the top. Clip the chart to a clipboard and position
in an easily assessible place. As students are participating in various learning
opportunities, observe the students and check off the skills you see students
demonstrating with proficiency. However, when it comes to creating a checklist for
your own assignments, the format is up to you. Your task is to create a feedback form
that allows your students to communicate effectively about the important goals of the
assignment. Here is an example of a class checklist for speaking skills.
Source for assessment: Tieng Anh 12 Unit 14: International Organizations (Old
material) Oral Test
Topic:
Varies
Talking
Ideas are
pace of
Connects

about an
Topic is
Strong
organized
speaking
with
international
clear
opening
logically and tone of
audience
organization
voice
in the world
Student A
Student B
Student C
Table 3.1: A Sample of Checklist Tool for Speaking Skills Assessment

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This checklist can be used for any material which is used in classroom
lesson. After the oral presentation of students (see Appendix 7,8), the students
were assessed basing on this sample. In addition, checklists can be widely used in
any skills that teachers wish to assess the learners’ competency.
Individual checklists can also be used to gather data about student learning.
Students or teachers complete the checklists. A checklist for writing provides
students and teachers with assessment information. Students use the checklist to
analyze their piece of writing and determine if they need to make any changes

before handing in a copy to you. You use the checklist to identify areas that the
student needs more instruction or practice. A sample writing checklist may look as
follows:
Source for assessment: Tieng Anh 10 2nd episode Unit 7: Cultural Diversity
Writing Lesson Page 22 (New material)
Name: _________________________________ Class: _________
Topic:

Student’ Assessment

Teacher’s Assessment

Writing about some
typical characteristics of
the Vietnamese people
Contains complete
thoughts
Well organized
Spelling is correct
Uses appropriate grammar
structures and vocabulary
Uses correct punctuation
Table 3.2: A Sample of Checklist Tool for Writing Skills Assessment
In the above example, students check off area they completed in their
writing. They attach the checklist to their writing when they hand it into you. You
use the checkist as you read and assess their writen work. If there are
discrepancies, provide feedback to the student by meeting with them individually
and discussing ways to make their writing stronger or by providing written
suggestions at the bottom of the checklist. This is an example of a checklist which
has been done in a writing class:

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 Field Trips
Field trips can be defined as a type of experiential learning that gets students
out of the tradition classroom setting into a new mode of learning. Field trips can
be used in learning process as they are not noly expand students’ learning and
experience but also increase their knowledge and understanding of the world in
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