Nine guiding principles are presented in the final report of the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Evaluation and Monitoring entitled, Evaluation in Education (1989). The purpose of these principles is to provide guidance on educational evaluation in several areas. One of these areas is student evaluation. The evaluation of student progress has a strong influence on both teaching and learning. If used appropriately, evaluation can promote learning, build confidence, and develop students’ understanding of themselves.
Five general guiding principles provide a framework to assist teachers in planning for student evaluation:
1. Evaluation is an essential part of the teaching-learning process. It should be a planned, continuous activity that is closely linked to both curriculum and instruction.
2. Evaluation should be guided by the intended learning outcomes of the curriculum, and a variety of assessment strategies should be used.
3. Evaluation plans should be communicated in advance. Students should have opportunities for input to the evaluation process.
4. Evaluation should be fair and equitable. It should be sensitive to family, classroom, school, and community situations; it should be free of bias. Students should be given opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge, understandings, skills, and attitudes.
5. Evaluation should help students. It should provide positive feedback and encourage students to participate actively in their own learning.