ABSTRACT
THE ROLE OF ASSESSMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES Teachers and students have a tendency to equate terms such as assessment or evaluation with grades. This is like thinking that art is a paint brush or that music is a voice or a piano. Grades and standardized tests are tools by which assessments are done. They are indicators of student progress and learning, of the degree of teaching success, and of areas of strength and weakness. Teacher-made tests, teacher observations, and the various kinds of work that students produce provide teachers indicators. It is extremely important that teachers not lose sight of the purpose of evaluation in social studies, which, as in any other area of instruction, should be to help students learn better.
