ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at definitions of assessment, as well as purposes and stakeholders. It briefly looks at the issues of formative and summative assessment, and grading schemes such as norm and criterion referenced assessment. The purpose of the chapter is really to familiarize the reader with these commonly used terms and issues. Assessment in education can be thought of as occurring whenever one person, in some kind of interaction, direct or indirect, with another, is conscious of obtaining and interpreting information about the knowledge and understanding, or abilities and attitudes of that other person. Facilitating appropriate and effective formative assessment is one of the most important aspects of any educator’s role, and is vital to learners’ confidence and sense of progress. The primary purpose of summative assessment is to record or report an estimate of students’ achievements.
