Coherence

Abstract

Assessment may serve different purposes in different contexts. In the context of classroom learning, teachers use assessment to collect information about students’ competence in a particular domain (e.g., science) at the beginning of and throughout an instructional unit for planning and monitoring student learning. At the end of the unit, the school year or even a particular stage of education, teachers use assessment to collect information about student competence to evaluate the outcomes of student learning in scope of the unit or school year. In the school, district, state, or national level context, assessment is used for monitoring student learning across multiple school years. All these assessments may be considered to serve the eventual aim to improve student learning. However, only assessments that have an immediate effect on the assessed students’ learning are considered formative assessment. Assessments used for certification purposes (e.g., grading) and monitoring purposes.