Stages of assessment

There are three stages in the assessment process viz.:

1. Before learning = diagnostic assessment (aka pre-test)
• This assessment determines a learner's baseline skill and knowledge prior to the commencement of the learning
2. During learning = formative assessment
• This assessment takes place during the learning process to modify learning activities and improve the learner's achievement
3. After learning = summative assessment
• This assessment takes place after the learning process has been completed. It evaluates whether the learner has mastered the learning objective / outcome.

You might have noticed we used an example of diagnostic testing on the previous page when we asked you to rank your assessment proficiencies using a survey. Let's delve into a little more detail for each stage.