Explain the characteristics of evaluation instrument and how results from these instruments are used?

Part A:

Once we had decided that's will be using X kinds of an instrument for the purpose of the evaluation.  Here being the developer of curriculum it is very essential for us to know what are the important characteristic of the evaluation. These characteristics are:  

·         Objectivity  

·         Reliability  

·         Validity of instruments  

Explanation: 

·         In the context of curriculum development, it is very essential to know that when we have developed an instrument or we want to develop then first of all we have to worry about how much this is objective instruments.  Which mean is that what it gives us same information, if two different persons are using the same instrument? Is that we can gain all the information objectively.  Or if we are look for interest, then is the two different teachers identify similar interest which is desired. If we want to look that which type of conceptual understanding is. So, when two teachers use this instrument then more or less they bring similar type of result and therefore, there will be not much ambiguity between their results. 

·         Same like that when we say what is the reliability. Then we look that variety in any response can be too much. For example, if we are studying the students’ attitude or social behaviors. Then we will get know in the one situation the child become too much socialized. While on the other situation child become too much isolated. When in situation in which there can be too much fluctuation, and also can be in the responses or can be in the variation of response.  Then there is need to check that, which type of the reliability is of our instrument. And by using this instruction how much big sample we have to take. And is that we can draw conclusion by taking few peoples. Or we have to increase the size of sample. Or we have to give more time only one student and we have to do observation to more time period and on that based, we can do evaluation. And we can put the value to the behavior of the students. So, objectivity is how well the same instrument which is being used by different people is generating the desired results as per the objectives. Second is the reliability that how much large or small sample we have to use. For how much time period we have to do observation and after how we can put the values.  

·         The third is validity is the method and the degree to which it provides evidence of desired behavior. In which we want to know that is the instrument which we have built. It helps us to provide the desired result which we want to get. If is not like that, then we have a need to think about that how we can further revise this instrument.  

So, three basic characteristic that is very essential to know being a curriculum developer is the objectivity of the learning experiences and the objectivity of the evaluation tools that we are using. Second is the reliability how reliable the instrument is and third is validity, how valid that instrument is, no matter the situation in which we are using it, is that it helps us to achieve the desire result that we want to achieve. 

Part B:   Uses of Evaluation results:

Educational program has several objectives. For every objective several terms and
descriptions are used to summarize the behavior of students (in relation to
objectives). The results of evaluation instruments are not a single score or a
description but are analyzed profile indicating present status of students. These scores
should be comparable to those used at a preceding date (previous term or year) so that
it is possible to indicate whether change is taking place. IT is necessary to compare the results obtained from several emulations before and after given period to estimate amount of change take place.

The benefit of analysis of the result, they are enabling us to identify what are the strengths and weakness of the curriculum which have prepared. We making the analysis of those findings they help us and enables us to suggest possible explanation or hypotheses for the reason of weakness and strengths.  It mean that we can see, what are the possible reason of students good performances and what are reason, possible explanation of students bad performing. In that case we have to modify that curriculum. So, while we are looking at the patterns of weakness and strengths of a curriculum on the bases of strengths and weakness of the students we can give certain explanation and reason or possible explanation that why student perform good or bad. With these kinds of possible explanation which we are called hypotheses these can checked.

Checking of hypotheses:

Once hypothesis have been suggested that might possible explain the evaluation data, the next step is:

·         To check these against the present data that is additional data that may be
available.

·         To check whether the hypotheses are consistent with all the data then available

·         To modify the curriculum in the direction implied by the hypotheses

·         To teach the material to see whether there is improvement in student
achievement after modification.

Revision of Curriculum:
If there is an improvement then it would suggest that hypotheses are likely explanations and basis for improving the curriculum have been identified.

In curriculum planning there is:

·         Re-planning

·         Re-development

·         Re-appraisal

The cyclical process ensures that curriculum and instruction program is improved continuously over the year. It is a hope for an increasingly effective educational program rather than following a hit and miss judgment for curriculum development

Other uses of Evaluation Results are:

·         Evaluation & learning: the most powerful influence of evaluation is that how individual perform inside the class room. It means that how students learn inside the classroom and what the areas which can be improved are and these areas are identify after the process of evaluation. After this we can set the individual program for the improvement of the individual. Similar like it, it is proofed through the research that the evaluation and examination that are develop at the national or international level in any country. When these evaluation instruments are used then these instruments become more valuable than those curriculums which you are teaching in the classroom. Its mean that your instruction program is one thing but how you learn to evaluate that instruction program that impact the students learning and performance of individual students. Same like this the kind of evaluation in which telling the teachers that how you will evaluate students in the classroom. It also impacts upon the teaching of teachers inside the classroom. So, we are evaluating students and it is impacting the learning of the students and it helps teachers to plan their lesson effectively. Therefore, that they can use that evaluation procedures which is being prescribed. so that through this way the result of evaluation can be used for teacher performance in teaching, students’ performance in their studies and learning as a whole can be addressed.   

·         Evaluation and individual students’ guidance: Evaluation has great importance in the individual guidance of students' helps to identify their: needs & capabilities. Evaluation also helps us to know that what are the strength and weakness of students. And what are the capable to doing and needs that we can provide for their development. Once we have known that what the prior knowledge of student is. What is their background & achievements, and are these achievements as per the content knowledge and what type of the behavior and kind of skills they possess. So, once we are conduct the evaluation and it's a comprehensive program of evaluation. It provides us with the information individual students and the other students that how we can improves the performance of the students. And then intern the improvement of curriculum as whole.  

·         Continuous Evaluation: as we know we can conduct terminal evaluation and we can conduct evaluation at different end of terms that is normally happen here. But if we are conducting continuous evaluation.  Which mean that evaluation conduct on daily base happening, that how students interact with each other. How they learning more in group and done how much good observation. And they can make description and they can make the evaluation of situations. So, all these things help us to identify deficiency in groups of students if they are working in group then what are the areas which need to improve. If we are looking individual student then we can look what are the areas which are improved in the student as such. And evaluation finally can help us to link back the program and then evaluate what is there which is missing and what is there which we can address accordingly. And through this we can make whole program effective and batter. So, continuous evaluation process which help us on day to day base understand where as curriculum developer we have to make certain changes. These changes we can do in the content knowledge that how much will be in this depth or breath. Which kind of behavior we want to inculcate. Is these behaviors are appropriate. And what are the skills at particular stage of the development.  

·         Evaluation & success of school. If we look at the evaluation of the school or evaluation of students at different grade level. We are also getting to know how well school is performing. If we want to address the school success in this matter we will not want to tell the parents that how much students get admission in the school and left the school. Everyone is interested in it how well kids are learning in skill, attitude and content knowledge. So, evaluation help us to get know about the school performance of every year as whole and the performance in that language which will be clearly and easily understandable for the teachers and parents. And we can translate into the terms which can make the meaning to the parents. if we can do this we can brief the parents how much teachers, students are doing well in the school. So, the school performance can be evaluated by the performance of the students and by performance of the teachers.  And we can also share this evaluation with the teachers. While we are evaluating students and communicating with the parents, so that can help parents to the deficiency and the strength of the students and their children and accordingly it can address.  In short, an evaluation procedure must help us to determine: what changes are taking place among students, where we are achieving our curricular objectives and how we can improve them further. Evaluation also help us what modification we are doing and what is the type of these modification to get an effective educational program. 

Reference:

·         EDU 402, Lectures, handouts, VULMS important links

·         Google, Yahoo,  Wikipedia research and blogs and article