The Three Assessment Goals in Teaching & Learning English as a Second Language

This type of assessment assists teachers in understanding where students are in their learning. Teachers gather information through questions, class activities, or observations to adjust their teaching and better support students. It allows them to identify what students already know and where they may need additional support. For instance, a teacher might notice that, during a group discussion, a student uses visuals effectively but requires support with verb tense, prompting a targeted mini-lesson.

Example: Teachers observe students’ oral communication and adjust lessons accordingly.

At this point, students are involved in the assessment process. They reflect on their own learning, set goals, and track their progress. This builds confidence and helps them become more independent throughout the learning process. It also teaches them to consider their own thinking process - a skill called metacognition, which means being aware of how they learn best.

Example: Students use a writing checklist with visuals or sentence starters to monitor their use of connectors, verb tense, or descriptive language.

This is the type of assessment most people recognize—such as tests or final projects. It measures a student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations after a period of instruction, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning. These results are often used for report cards and to demonstrate progress.

Example: A final project or reading comprehension task—possibly including oral responses or graphic organizers—assesses student understanding of key concepts.