5.3 Operation
5.3.4 Sweeping
Evaluation helps in Decision Making: At the end of a lesson, or course, unit, the teachers, school administrators and other school personnel make many decision about the students progress and in
addition lead the students’ to make many decisions for themselves.
But it is necessary to realize that decisions are not made on scanty or irrelevant information about a students’ programme rather it is on the basis of a good deal of information. Hence the school should keep or
have cumulative and considerable record of information about each
student.
The relevance of the information is also very significant, in that, the data that will be helpful to place a student in senior secondary technical are not identical with the data that will be most relevant to place him in ordinary senior secondary school. In the same secondary school too, the data for placing a student for Further Mathematics will not be identical
with the data for placing him for Agricultural Science.
127
EDU 808 Mathematics Curriculum and Instructions in Secondary Schools
Note also that before decisions are made they usually involve prediction
but before the latter, available and accurate data should be at hand as aresult evaluation.
5.3.2 Predictive Measurement
Moreover, evaluation helps for the purpose of prediction. For example questions like: “In what mathematics class is this student likely to make
the best progress”. Is she likely to be able to offer the courses she
wants?
These questions demand predictions. Yes he is likely to do well in such a class, he will not or from the records available, he is not likely to do well in that class. He will not cope with the demand. These predictions now serve as prerequisites for individual or institutional decisions. But
it should be emphasized that the accuracy of the judgements and
inferences you make will only b increased by relevant data.
5.3.3 Placement and Promotions
Another important purpose of evaluation is that it helps for placement and promotion. So, evaluation tests the readiness of a student or child to be placed in a new school or promoted to a new class as the case may
be. Common Entrance Examination and JAMB examination are all evaluative strategies for placement of pupils or students to new and higher institutions relative to the former. Sessional examinations in schools are evaluative strategies for the purpose of promotion of students from one class to a higher class. But better decisions of placement and promotion can only be made with cumulative considerable and relevant data and not just by one or two single
achievement tests.
5.3.4 Guidance and Counseling
Evaluation also helps in guidance and counseling and career choice.
Choosing a career is a type of decision-making which a student has to make by himself and or by parents, based on the predictions they can
make or the school helps him to make by making available his
cumulative records.
5.3.5 Assessment of Instructional Strategies
Evaluation helps in the assessment of the teaching methods and materials on how effective they were in the course of an instruction.
Therefore, it helps in ReEDUiation purposes. This implies that if the feedback obtained from evaluation is unsatisfactory there will be that
128
decision of making up(reEDUying the situation) what was lost.
ReEDUiation will therefore involve re-teaching and re-planning on the part of the teacher of the teacher as well as relearning on the part of the
learner (the student).
As a classroom teacher you can or must have discovered other purposes
evaluation serves.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Evaluation has been defined in this unit and its purposes outlined. Its
components have also been given, namely diagnostic, formative and
summative.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit you have studies 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
the meaning of evaluation as a purposeful educational process
which helps in gathering relevant and adequate data about learners’ achievement based on the educational objectives specified by either the teacher or the curriculum designer.
five major purposes of evaluation were highlighted: decision-
making, prediction, promotion/placement, career guidance and
reEDUiation.
data collected should be relevant and adequate;
learners achievement should be on various dimensions rather than on only cognitive testing.
objectives to be evaluated should be clearly specified and well stated.
6.0 TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT 1.
2.
3.
Using your own words give a definition of ‘evaluation’
How does evaluation help in decision making? Give three
examples of such possible decisions.
Clear and well defined objectives is necessary in defining evaluation. Discuss.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISES
1.
2.
From the definition of evaluation, point out some key aspects that evaluation must involve.
“To evaluate” sounds like “to measure” comment.
129
EDU 808 Mathematics Curriculum and Instructions in Secondary Schools