ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION
One
People in the education sector work towards maintaining and improving the quality of education services and programs. Assessment and accreditation are essential for quality assurance. Assessment is a process that involves the provision of reliable evidence of resources, actions of implementation, and outcomes undertaken to improve the reliability or effectiveness of instructions, programs, or services in higher education (Banta, Ewell, & Cogswell, 2016). It helps in determining the quality of education services and identifying areas that require improvement. The assessment of students in the United States commenced when formal education began. By 19th century students were tested to evaluate if they understood what they were taught by teachers (Brink, 2011). The students who failed were retained in their current class. This type of testing was referred to as recitation. In the 20th century, standardized testing, which focused on determining the students’ intelligence, was introduced by psychologists (Brink, 2011).
On the other hand, accreditation is the process used by agencies or authorities to evaluate educational institutions and their programs to determine if they have met, satisfied, or exceeded particular predetermined (Ibrahim, 2014). These agencies have established the primary standards that determine the qualities of legal and sound school programs. The purpose of accreditation is to maintain the quality of all services offered by schools. Accreditation has been a major feature in the US’s higher education sector for more than a century. The accrediting of learning institutions based on particular standards in the US had begun by 1930 (Ewell, 2015). The current accreditation approach, which examines an institution based on its mission, was initiated in the mid-1950s (Ewell, 2015).
Two
Formative evaluation is used by teachers to gather information on the learning needs and the progress of students. The data collected through formative assessments include the cognitive skills, attitudes, and experiences of children while learning (Frunza, 2014). It is mainly conducted before the implementation of changes or interventions in education. Formative evaluation is beneficial as it involves students in the learning process. It helps to track the progress of the learners and ensure they are reaping maximum benefits from learning. It also helps teachers to make decisions that are evidence-based (Frunza, 2014). The main challenge of formative evaluation is that it is time-consuming. Besides, all teachers are not experts in formative assessment.
Summative assessment culminates in the achievements of students within a specified period. They are often conducted every end of an academic year to examine the annual progress. They can also occur at the end of a unit to determine the overall understanding level among students (Fu et al., 2015). Rubrics or assessment criteria are used to ensure that students understand what is required in the unit or course. Summative evaluation is advantageous as it appropriately determines the learning progress and achievement of students. It also helps in evaluating the effectiveness of educational programs (McCarthy, 2015). However, it is disadvantageous as it does identify and rectify instructional issues before they become comprehensive.
Three
Assessment involves the setting of goals and getting the best outcomes. The idea of evaluation can be seen in the story of creation. Genesis 2:31 records how God looked at everything he had made, and he saw it was good (Bible & Version,2014). Equally, the assessment helps teachers and students to know if they are making progress or not. Moreover, the bible supports the concept of accreditation in the book of Act 2: 22, which states that Jesus was a man accredited by God through miracles and wonders ((Bible & Version, 2014). Thus, accreditation helps in improving the trust people have in an institution that offers credible programs. The idea of allowing agencies or other people to accredit an organization is supported by John 5:31 that states that the witness is not true if we bear witnesses to ourselves.
Four
Suppose I came across a staff member who opposes conducting an assessment and accreditation work in their role, I would inform of the benefits involved. People may oppose assessment because they think it focuses on mistakes. Thus, I would explain to the staff that the assessment and accreditation focus on identifying gaps within roles. I would also remind them that the activity is statewide and not meant to punish them. My response would mainly focus on the benefits and principles of assessment and accreditation.
References
Banta, T. W., Ewell, P. T., & Cogswell, C. A. (2016). Tracing Assessment Practice as Reflected in” Assessment Update.” NILOA Occasional Paper# 28. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.
Bible, K. J. V., & Version, K. J. (2014). BibleGateway. Com. Accessed August 28.
Brink, C. S. (2011). A historical perspective of testing and assessment, including the impact of summative and formative assessment on student achievement.
Ewell, P. (2015). Transforming institutional accreditation in US higher education. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS).
Frunza, V. (2014, May). Advantages and barriers of formative assessment in the teaching-learning activity. In Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 4th World Conference on Psychology, Counseling, and Guidance (WCPCG-2013) (Vol. 114, pp. 452-455).
Fu, A. C., Peterson, L., Kannan, A., Shavelson, R. J., & Kurpius, A. (2015). A framework for summative evaluation in informal science education. Visitor Studies, 18(1), 17-38.
Ibrahim, H. A. H. (2014). Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Education. OJE, 2(2), 106-110.
McCarthy, J. (2015). Evaluating written, audio, and video feedback in higher education summative assessment tasks. Issues in Educational Research, 25(2), 153-169.