Principles of Assessment

1. Assessment must be valid. Assessment will be explicitly designed to measure student achievement of
the intended learning outcomes, and all intended learning outcomes will be summatively assessed. The
processes for the approval of new modules and programmes, and for amending existing modules and
programmes, will ensure that assessment is an integral part of module and programme design, and the
ongoing validity of assessment will be considered through annual and periodic review. This consideration is
supported throughout by the external subject specialists, by external examiners in relation to module
approval/module amendments/programme amendments and annual review, and by external subject
specialists other than external examiners in programme approval and periodic review.

2. Assessment must be reliable. To ensure the level of consistency that is necessary for assessment to
be reliable, all awards at the same academic level will be aligned with the University's generic qualification
descriptor, level descriptor and assessment criteria for that level of award. Additionally, all awards will be
made in accordance with the relevant core regulations of the University, unless a special case for an
exception to the relevant core regulations has been approved by DepEd. There will be clear and consistent
policies and procedures for the marking of assessed work, and for the quality assurance of the assessment
process. These processes will be supported by the University's external examiner system, with all external
examiners being asked to report on the reliability of assessment.

3. Assessment must be equitable. The school recognizes that different assessment methods may be
appropriate for different learning styles, and it therefore encourages all programs to employ (in a way that is
consistent with the intended learning outcomes being assessed) a diversity of assessment methods to
allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills. The University is also aware of
the need to make individual assessment arrangements for students with disabilities and other special
requirements, and will ensure that appropriate processes are in place to consider and address such needs.

4. Assessment must be explicit and transparent. Prior to undertaking any assessment task, students will
be clearly informed of the purpose and requirements of the task and will be provided with the specific
assessment criteria that will be used for marking it. Feedback to students will be related to the stated
learning outcomes and specific assessment criteria. Clear information on the policies and processes
relating to assessment will be easily available to all involved in the assessment process.

5. Assessment must support the student learning process. All assessment tasks influence the way in
which students approach their learning, and this will be taken into account in the design of all assessment
tasks. In every activity all students must receive timely feedback on assessed work that is aligned with the
outcomes being assessed, and the criteria against which these outcomes are assessed, and therefore
allows them to identify how they can improve their performance. Students must receive feedback on all
summative assessed work apart from examinations.

6. Assessment must be efficient. Assessment must be efficient for both students and staff such that
learning outcomes are not overly assessed and that knowledge and skills can be sampled. Resource
utilization in the production of assessment tools and the administration of assessment must be practically
minimized to such extent necessary to render a valid and reliable assessment.

7. Assessment outcomes must be monitored, and this monitoring used to support the enhancement of
assessment policy and practice. Student performance in assessment tasks must be monitored on regular
basis by departments/schools, to ensure that assessment continues to be consistent with the principles of
assessment outlined above. The results of this monitoring must be reported to faculty and school level
through reports on the periodic review of learning and teaching, external examiners' reports and the
conduct of boards of examiners.

8. Staff involved in assessment must be competent to undertake their responsibilities in this area. The
school must ensure that staff involved in the assessment process have appropriate experience and training.
Characteristics of Modern-day Assessment

RESPONSIVE: Visible performance-based work (as a result of assessment) generates data that inform
curriculum and instruction.

FLEXIBLE: Assessment need to be adaptable to students’ settings. Rather than the identical approach that
works in traditional assessment, 21st century approaches are more versatile.

INTEGRATED: Assessments are to be incorporated into day-to- day practice rather than as add-ons at the
end of instructions or during a single specified week of the school calendar. It must likewise
make use of various assessment tools and strategies deemed most appropriate and most
likely to produce valid results.

INFORMATIVE: The desired goals and objectives are clearly stated and explicitly taught. Assessment,
then, must be useful in a sense that it can provide the teacher, students, and school
managers the right information from which to base decisions and actions in relation to the
teaching-learning process.

MULTIPLE METHODS: An assessment continuum that includes a spectrum of strategies is the norm.
Students have different intelligences, so assessment must not focus on only one way of
assessing their learnings.

COMMUNICATED Communication of assessment data is clear and transparent for all stakeholders. I let
my students keep track of their progress by returning their papers or evaluation sheet. I also
see to it that I submit my student’s grade on time for their parents to be aware of their
child/children’s achievements.

TECHNICALLY SOUND: Adjustments and accommodations are made in the assessment process to meet
the students’ needs and fairness. Ensure that assessments are valid, reliable, and supports
comparisons students have different intelligences, beliefs, gender and socioeconomic
groups.