Assessment is related to the process of the company whereas evaluation is related to the product of the company. Take a closer look at some of the words in an English dictionary. You will come across multiple words that have somewhat similar meanings.
This is one of the major reasons for people to get confused when it comes to using the right word at the correct spot. Using words interchangeably in English has become a common thing in this modern era.
For example, you will often hear people using teachers and professors interchangeably. Another example of the above statement is assessment and evaluation. Both have meanings that are quite similar, yet have a certain degree of difference in them.
Assessment vs Evaluation
The main difference between Assessment and Evaluation is that assessment is a method that is used to improve the performance of the company by examining the data while evaluation means to check the utility of something with the given criteria or by comparing.
When you talk about assessment, it basically refers to a technique of compiling data from multiple sources in order to ascertain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Assessment is also a way by which teachers can understand the right method of improving the road to knowledge for a student.
On the other hand, evaluation basically concentrates on grades and it happens to be an organized assurance of a person or student’s worth, significance, and merit by way of following an administered set of standards.
If you wish to put it in simple terms, evaluation is more about taking a final judgment about the skills or quality or even the importance of a person.
Comparison Table Between Assessment and Evaluation
| Parameter of Comparison | Assessment | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Assessment is defined as the process of recording and interpreting various data to come up with a proper measurement of skills, knowledge, and attitude to improve the overall learning experience. | Evaluation is defined as a process of judging someone based on his significance, knowledge, and merit using a set of given rules and methods. |
| Process Continuation | This is a long-term process that continues. | This is a means of ending an ongoing or existing process. |
| Grade | It is a graded. | It is not graded. |
| Result | The result is always a constructive feedback. | The result mainly highlights shortcomings. |
| Criteria | Criteria is decided by both the parties involved in the assessment process through an agreement. | Criteria is decided only by the evaluator. |
What is Assessment?
Test or assessment is a term that brings about a sense of fear in every student’s mind. The mere thought about the possible outcome is enough to make every student literally dive into their books at the very last minute.
When you talk about assessment, it basically means a definite process of accumulating data pertaining to a person or even a thing from various sources in order to get an idea about the subject’s level of skills or knowledge.
There are basically 3 different types of assessments. These are summative, interim and alternative assessments. A summative assessment is conducted towards the end of a definite period that is pre-decided. Interim assessment happens to be a continuous process during which regular feedback is given to a subject in order to bring about some improvements.
Lastly, alternative assessment is basically conducted to find out how a person or subject can implement the acquired knowledge during a learning process. The best example of an alternative assessment is the examination system in any educational institution such as schools and colleges.
What is the Evaluation?
When you evaluate a person or something, it basically means making a judgment about the person to gauge the subject’s abilities or qualities. The process of evaluation can help a program, project or even an organization to assess a proposal, aim or any other alternative in an entire decision-making process.
Although to a layman both the terms assessment and evaluation will appear to be interchangeable and quite similar, there is still a hint of difference between the two.
Unlike an assessment, the results of an evaluation fail to come up with positive feedback. Nonetheless, it still passes the judgment.
Main Differences Between Assessment and Evaluation
- An assessment happens to be a proper method of gathering all the necessary data from various sources in order to get a definite idea about the knowledge and skills of a person or thing. On the other hand, evaluation is more about making a steady judgment about the skills, importance or even quality of a person or thing.
- The primary motive behind an assessment is to enhance the quality of an individual’s performance, whereas, the purpose of an evaluation is mainly to judge the performance of a person.
- There are no set standards and it is basically a personalized process when it comes to an assessment. On the other hand, an evaluation is carried out against a defined standard.
- Assessment is mainly pitched towards a process and evaluation is pithed towards a product.
- When it comes to a relationship, assessing it between 2 different people is reflective, whereas, in case of an evaluation, it is perspective.
- A teacher carries out an assessment to come up with constructive feedback for the students based on their individual performances. At the same time, evaluation is mainly carried by company HRs to get an idea of a candidate’s individual skills and knowledge.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Assessment and Evaluation
Why is assessment important?
An assessment is important because it helps us to determine that students understand and are absorbing the knowledge given to them. With the help of an assessment, one can figure out if the goals of education are being met or not.
In the modern world, students must not only understand the basic concepts of reading, writing or arithmetic calculations, they must also be familiar with the challenges that this new world imposes upon them.
They are required to master the skills of critical thinking and quick observation in order to make inferences. Exams, essays, projects, etc are all different methods to assess students.
What is the process of evaluation?
Evaluation is a process that involves collecting and carefully observing the information about the activities of a specific program. It is used to calculate the outcomes of a program by analyzing the characteristics of it.
The main purpose of an evaluation is to find out the flaws in a program in order to rectify them and make the program more effective.
The evaluation process is conducted in four different phases namely, planning, implementation, completion, and dissemination.
What is the scope of assessment?
Assessments are used to infer if a student has gained the knowledge that has been taught to the student so far. Assessments provide relevant data that how much the current educational system benefits the students to acquire the knowledge. This data is used to understand if the institute’s educational goals are met or not.
Assessments also cover co-curricular activities that provide data on how much students are learning the skills other than general education. This helps understand if students are developing critical thinking and creativity or not.
What are the three purposes of assessment?
The three purposes of assessment are:
- First is assessment for learning, where a teacher determines how and what should be taught to the students.
- Second is assessment as learning where a teacher tries different methods to teach students and trying to figure out the best one.
- The third is an assessment of learning, where students are supposed to take an evaluation test at the end of their learning. It helps determine how much they have learned and if the learning procedure requires any improvement.
What is the purpose of a writing assessment?
The purpose of a writing assessment is to evaluate a person’s knowledge and potential about a specific subject in the form of a written task. It helps to evaluate the learning and writing of a student.
Conclusion
After the above discussion, you
must have gained some knowledge by now about the areas where assessment and
evaluation differ from each. Although both the terms are used to review
individual performances of people, both are used in entirely different
contexts.
Assessment is mainly carried out to give constructive feedback to a person. A teacher or professor assesses his students to give them proper and constructive feedback so that they can improve their education methods in the future.
In a way, it tells a person about where he basically stands and what the areas where improvement is necessary.
Evaluation is, on the other hand, is carried to judge a person. When you apply for a job in a company, the company HR will evaluate you through several rounds of an interview process. The sole purpose of this is to judge you based on your knowledge and skills. Although both the terms sound similar to each other, the difference lies in their way of incorporation.