Functional Types of Student Evaluation

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Abstract
Although recent emphasis in the evaluation literature has concentrated upon curriculum evaluation, student evaluation remains a pervasive and crucial feature of all teaching. This article defines four types of student evaluation: placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative. These types are contrasted across nine dimensions: function, time, characteristics of evidence, evidence-gathering techniques, sampling, scoring and reporting, standards, reliability, and validity. Examples of and interactions between the four types across the nine dimensions are cited. This article indicates the multiplicity of evaluative roles and techniques applicable to evaluating students. It is argued that we must conceive of evaluation as involving a much broader role than simply grading student achievement at the end of instruction. Three of the four evaluation types described are consciously intended to enhance student learning prior to the making of grading judgments.

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