Achievement Test : Definition, Features , Types , Uses and Importance of Achievement Test.
What is Achievement Test ? What is importance of Achievement Test in education ?
What are the different types of Achievement Test ?
Definition of Achievement Test :-
Achievement Test measures students' subject and class-based proficiency. Through this aspiration, it can be known how much knowledge the students have acquired in any subject. That is, an achievement test or standardized test refers to a test whose components are pre-planned, which has a specific norm and whose application techniques and scoring system are the same.
Achievement Test can be divided into two categories - standardized test and teacher made test. A standardized test is a test that is systematically tested against the basis of statistics and has a standard. Teacher-made tests are mainly done and directed by the teacher.
Features of Achievement Test :-
Features of Achievement Test are -
(a) Achievement Test is idealized and standardized..
(b) Achievement Test is controlled and based on examinations.
(c) The Achievement Tests are selected through extensive testing and observation.
(d) The objects of these tests are either subjective or impersonal.
(e) This Achievement Test has a certain predetermined ideal or norm.
(f) The application techniques and scoring system of this test are uniformly specified in all cases.
(g) In this Achievement Test , students' performance is compared against a standard or norm.
(h) The validity and reliability of this Achievement Test is very high.
Uses of Achievement Test :-
1. With the help of this test, students' subject and class-wise proficiency can be measured.
2. Through this test, it is known how much knowledge the students have acquired in any subject.
3. Specific standardized questions or stimuli are selected to measure proficiency in all aspects of the subject for the particular class for which the assessment is made.
4. A variety of techniques are used to create mastery aspirations, and this approach is particularly hard work intensive. But once a test of a subject is created, it is universally enforced.
Objectives of Achievement Test :-
The main purpose of the Academic Achievement Test is to determine how much knowledge or skills students have acquired in a particular subject in school. The various behavioral objectives of the Achievement Test are-
(a) Intellectual objective: Intellectual objective is to check the current knowledge and depth of knowledge of particular students about specific subjects in school. This purpose is twofold. Namely cognitive and perceptual.
Cognitive objective: If it appears that the student is not thinking too much while answering the question or is able to answer directly without special understanding. Only then will the cognitive objective be complete. Especially after cognitive purposes such as enumerating, exemplifying, stating, a person, an object, event or time.
Perceptual Objectives: Discerning, identifying, finding, finding relationships etc. come under perceptual objectives.
(b) Provocation-Reactive Objective: The provocation-reactive objective is to check how freely the newly acquired knowledge is able to apply new feelings or provocations in teaching a particular lesson. Like problem solving, decision making, reasoning, proving etc.
(c) Mental Experiential Objectives: To check the development of students' skills, mental sense is the main basis of experimental objectives. These types of objectives include subject-wise mapping, categorization, time management, etc.
Importance , needs and necessity of Achievement Test :-
Current academics believe that this type of testing in the education system was first introduced in China. Although the achievement test in schools measures the level of competence or progress of students, we can also draw different conclusions from these measures. For example-
(i) Achievement Test helps in measuring the educational attainment of a student by making it easier to know what kind of educational experience the student has acquired.
(ii) Through the Achievement Test , students are facilitated to choose subjects related to school entrance. It is also beneficial to know what kind of educational system will be available for the student.
(iii) Which student is suitable for which level of study can also be considered.
(iv) In many cases such Achievement Tests help in identifying specific learning disabilities of students.
(v) It is possible for teachers to eliminate errors through such tests which helps in formulating remedial teaching plans.
(vi) Achievement Test gives students a sense of their own success, thus students are motivated to pass academic subjects.
(vii) Through such tests students can get an idea about future education, scholarship etc.
(viii) Achievement Test helps the teacher to evaluate his own teaching process and other teaching aids. Through this test , the teacher can judge the principles he follows.
(ix) Achievement Test also helps in formulating future educational plans of a student with the help of measuring minimum competence.