Assessment as *the* Central Component of Education (Module 2)

In the theoretical framework presented at the beginning of the module, it was posited that “assessment drives the many aspects of education”.  One would normally think of education in terms of what is being taught (curriculum) and how it is taught (instruction).  So, boldly claiming the prominence of assessment in education would require quite a paradigm shift.

At first, I could not quite accept that because I had already been exposed to the CIA Framework where curriculum, instruction and assessment are equally held as being important for student learning.  But just as the operational plans of any organization starts with the vision and mission, I believe the educational directives should also stem from a country’s vision.

To declare whether our country has reached its vision or not, we need to make an evaluation and a measurement if it has done so.  That is where assessment, with the help of research, can play a central role in education.  From the NEDA Website, I see this entire vision:

Vision of the Philippines for 2040

So, for me, CHEd, DepEd and the PRC should make sure that they align their respective visions with the vision of the Philippines.  And they should also ask these questions that pertain to specific parts of the vision for our country:

  1. How can education help every Filipino to “enjoy a stable and comfortable lifestyle”
  2. What skills and knowledge do Filipinos need to be able to “plan and prepare for [their] own and [their] children’s futures”?
  3. How can we help Filipinos to be “smart and innovative, and [to] live in a high-trust society”?  (For example, there must be “moral education” courses in elementary and high school while “ethics” must be taught in all college programs, so that we can build a high-trust society).

Then the school administrators and educators can better understand their roles on how to reach the vision of the Philippines by 2040.  But I believe that the visions of CHEd, DepEd and the PRC do not adequately address how their existence will help with the full vision of the Philippines:

 


REFERENCES:

Commission on Higher Education (n.d.).  About the Commission: Vision, mission, mandate.  Accessed 14 October 2023 from https://ched.gov.ph/about-us/#vision-mission

Department of Education.  (n.d.).  Vision, mission, core values, and mandate.  Accessed 14 October 2023 from https://www.deped.gov.ph/about-deped/vision-mission-core-values-and-mandate/

National and Economic Development Authority.  (n.d.).  The vision.  Accessed 14 October 2023 from https://2040.neda.gov.ph/the-vision/

Professional Regulatory Commission.  (n.d.).  Vision / mission.  Accessed 14 October 2023 from https://prc.gov.ph/vision-mission


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