Assessment Plans: The Why

Why is it important to have an assessment plan?

Laying out an assessment plan that can be checked and revisited helps you to 1) ensure that your assessment activities are designed to measure your target learning outcomes and 2) plan learning activities that are aligned with your assessments. Assessment plans support backward design, proficiency-based instruction, and improved student outcomes.

The purpose of each of your individual assessment activities is to provide feedback to you and your learners that can help improve their language development. With an assessment plan, you can look across assessments to better determine gaps in learning, implement changes in your course, and even advocate for changes across the program. Your assessment plan should therefore include details on how the data from each assessment instrument will be analyzed, used, and communicated.