"Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can't measure something, you can't understand it. If you can't understand, you can't control it. If you can't control it, you can't measure it."
(H. James Harrington)
Considering Testing and Evaluation as evil or something derogatory is one sided point of view which also prevails within the education system. But if we look deeply then Testing and Evaluation are a necessary part of Learning. Because according to basic human behavior a person is entangled in any activity where there are some benefits from it. And Testing and Evaluation are those pillars of constant reminder for a person that he/she will be measured in their skills, knowledge and information. And These factors keep them active in Learning.
B.F. Skinner coined the term named 'Operant Conditioning'. It is also known as Instrumental Conditioning.
"A type of learning in which the strength of a behavior is modified by the consequences (reward or punishment), signaled via the preceding stimuli."
Here, Operant Conditioning denotes that such Human behaviour which repeats are those behaviour which got Desirable Outcomes. While on the other side Behaviour which got Undesirable Outcomes are slowly steadily eliminating from their roots. So, Positive reinforcement gives better results in comparison to Negative Reinforcement. So, Here Testing and Evaluation became important to keep records of an individual's progress, their mistakes, their abilities and Skills.
Testing, Evaluation and Assessment are the terms which are used interchangeably in general context. But when we are clearly pointing Testing, Evaluation and Assessment in the Education Field it has become mandatory to figure how these terms are differing from each otherb in their roles and characteristics.
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