Curriculum, Assessment and Evaluation
Core concepts
Know curriculum types (intended, implemented, hidden, null), the components of a curriculum (objectives, content, methods, materials, evaluation), and the difference between formative and summative assessment, assessment for, as and of learning. Understand test construction: table of specification, item types (selected response and constructed response), validity, reliability, fairness, and item difficulty and discrimination. Know the difference between measurement, assessment and evaluation, and between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing. Understand continuous assessment, portfolio and project assessment, and the role of feedback.
Traps
A frequent trap is confusing assessment with evaluation, or formative with summative. Formative happens during learning to improve it; summative judges achievement at the end. Another trap is calling a test reliable but not valid; a scale that reads consistently but wrongly is reliable and invalid. Do not confuse the hidden curriculum (unintended lessons such as punctuality and hierarchy) with the null curriculum (what is not taught). Questions may ask which item type measures higher-order thinking; well-designed constructed response or performance tasks usually fit better than simple recall items.
Worked example
A question asks how a teacher should use a mid-unit quiz. Rule of thumb: if the results guide reteaching and feedback before the unit ends, it is formative; if they only assign a grade, it is summative. Use a table of specification to align items with objectives and cognitive levels.
Application
Plan assessment before teaching, share criteria, give timely feedback, and use results to adjust instruction rather than merely to rank learners.