In this paper the efficiency of using some tools for effective quality assessment of teaching natural sciences are examined. The objective of this research is to identify and explain the types of assessments, their efficiency and find out the distinction between assessment types and tools. In order to meet this goal a number of tools were identified. These include: Rating program and teaching faculty members; Designing well-qualified individual plans for the instructors; Fostering links between foreign universities, professional associations, nonprofit organizations and enterprises; Implementing the external and internal academic mobility for students and teaching faculty members; Stimulating teaching faculty members and their performance. The theoretical part of this paper concentrates on identifying the assessing tools and clarifying the types of assessments such as diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. Diagnostic assessment empowers to identify the students’ current knowledge of a subject, their skill sets and capabilities and to clarify misconceptions before teaching takes place. Formative assessment provides feedback and information during the instructional process and assists to measure student progress and also assess the teacher progress as an instructor. Summative assessment provides information and feedback that sums up the teaching and learning process and empowers to identify strengths and weaknesses of teachers, students, programs and curricula. We believe that the appropriate tools enable effectively to assess the teachers and students performance. It is also examined the comprehension assessment techniques which cover all learning, teaching and assessing activities for reaching the best outcomes of the teaching process. It is stated that this assists to increase the quality of teaching, learning achievements, teacher education and training services at the university. The quality, effectiveness and misconceptions of teaching and learning process can be successfully assessed in desired, explorative, student oriented, practical and constructive educational environment .
Introduction
The purpose of assessment and evaluation is to determine levels given in accordance with the standards set over a specific curriculum for the education (1). The aim of the evaluation is not to grade; to identify deficiencies and mistakes, then to ensure the corrections and to complete. This is the main element for the quality of teacher education and training services.
Qualification of the teaching staff is fundamental to the quality of educational services and provides a systematic assessment of the competence of teachers.
An assessment in education covers measurements of students` knowledge; determination of effectiveness of teachers; get the results of teaching process and guidance. It is an important part of teaching, so some implements help to assess fruitfully and effectively. It could be used to give feedback for students` learning and to guide students and how to improve teaching.
Methodology
Qualitative research technique is used in this study. Qualitative research is a method of inquiry-based, so then the researcher looks for types of assessment and describes the information in assessment.In used methodology, it is produced information and conclusion only on assessment studied.The theoretical information of assessment` types are found out at first. Second, some assessing implements and studies are investigated in different local and foreign schools and universities by participating of author in assessment studies. The known assessing studies and assessment types are paired with each other at last.
Findings
There are three assessing types; diagnostic, formative and summative assessments. Let us explain some implements in terms of above assessments at first and than comprehensive assessment is defined. Evaluations of content and pedagogical knowledge, dialogue to professors and teachers, questionnaire, competition and monitoring are important aids to assess the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
Diagnostic assessment
It is needed to make diagnostic assessment at first before teaching. Diagnostic assessment helps to determine level of students, teachers and professors; to be able to organize and manage teaching process.The quality of school education has depended directly on professional positions of teachers. It is became increasingly important how to teach and how to learn for students in many countries. The lectures should be allowed by professionals who have more experience in practices and theoretic. Thus,some implements; competition, dialogue to instructors and the others are applied on the selection of professional teachers and lecturers to qualify education.
The competition is conducted on the basis of the analytical generalization of the results of the candidates in the form of questionnaires, peer review, testing, interviews, creative reports, protection of copyright developments, practical tasks, while skills will be examined in accordance with standard qualifications for each position to determine the level of professionalism.
The competition is implemented by looking for activities and skills of instructors. Instructors representstheir teaching activities that carried out depending on the skill and the following criteria: experience of pedagogical work; experience in teaching specific discipline; participation in national and international research projects, scientific qualifications; the presence of honorary degrees and diplomas given by government` departments or others; retraining and professional development, etc.Assessing the level of educational and methodical qualification and implementation of organizational and methodological activities of instructors may be used depending on the level of theoretical knowledge of the teacher, their methods of educational activity, introduction new technologies, pedagogical experiment, etc.
Dialogue to instructors for new instructors at the beginning of teaching term is an important technique to select the best instructor to determine skills of cooperative working, research opportunities, ethical study, motivation, selfevaluation, relationship with social or industrial sectors and their future individual plans. The next implementation is the assessment of exist instructors that it takes place at the end of a teaching period. In this technique, discussion and questioning will tell something about how effective academic work was at over a period of time. It allows you to provide immediate feedback about all academic works of instructors.
The individual plan of instructors is essential to manage teaching and to realize effectiveness learning. The structure of the working load of teachers identified includes educational, instructional, organizational-methodical, scientific-research, educational, and professional development in the individual plan. Scientific work of academic staff includes the following activities: organization and conducting of fundamental and applied research; publication of educational and scientific works, textbooks; publication of monographs, scientific articles, participation in the scientific-theoretical and practical, national and international conferences, preparation of reports, research projects, experimental-design works.It conducts scientific student conferences; scientificresearch work of students, undergraduates and doctoral students, participation in the work of the ScientificMethodical Council of the faculty, etc.
Formative assessment
Formative assessment is named as during-lesson monitoring. There is much information about student learning and the quality of instruction that a teacher can gather during the lesson (2). The fundamental aim of this assessment is to determine the level of learning acquisitions and skills during teaching process; to find out lacks of learning and teaching; and to apply additional teaching implements. Formative assessment is relevant the teaching procedure but not only production of learning. Both procedure andproduction are important to reach the best learning and teaching products. The goal of this assessment is to improve teaching procedure and develop teaching process for all teaching components. For better assessment to improve the quality of teaching, educational managers should implement the following studies;
- Ensuring a close relationship with the production of training is involved professionals with experience in their respective industries. In the framework of the educational programs of teacher-practitioners are teachers who have experience in the relevant industry or working part-time in their respective organizations; qualified employees of enterprises and organizations working in the University part-time. Selection practitioners on the basis of qualification requirements, job descriptions and approved by staff, given the large experience in the relevant
- Establishing and maintaining contacts with foreign universities, professional associations, nonprofit organizations and businesses in attracting foreign professors and experts, as well as conduct monitoring and analysis of the existing legal acts in the sphere of foreign teachers and
- Stimulating teacher staff` works and enhance their motivation to achieve the professional activities:participation in national and international contests and competitions for individual grants; provision of opportunities to improve skills at the expense of the University in accordance with the decision of the Rector’s Office;encouragement of the University employees engaged in scientific research, those who obtained and published scientific results (“Regulation of Fees support”) in a form of cash; rating system of remuneration and material incentives on its results (the “regulations for the planning, allocation and accounting of the teaching load of the faculty”); organizing multilevel organization of training
- Monitoring and evaluating are carried out through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, observations, document analysis, and analysis of focus For formative assessment, it may be studied on some steps;
- Another kind of evaluation is based on marks put into by Marks show the achievement of students thus students’ learning is evaluated in terms of the extent of achievement for a course of study in subjects. Marks are assessed for each subject and each teacher. The percentages and averages are calculated and then compared with marks of the preceding year. The achievements of students and the development of teachers are monitored.
- For more information about the quality of teaching, assessment of the degree of competence in the sphere of education were involved in other subjects’ assessment: the teachers themselves (self-esteem) and students who completed the course in these Analysis of the results of self-assessment helped to determine the degree of adequacy, clarity of understanding of the identified competences and the level of development of pedagogical reflection. Correlation of the results of the assessment of students made it possible to confirm the main conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the educational activities of University teachers.
- Confirmation of the level of competence of teachers is the efficiency and the quality of teaching being evaluated at the University by conducting public training, co-training, as well as questioning "the Teacher through the eyes of a " The results of these activities are the basis for the renewal of employment contracts academic staff, promotion, participation in the annual Republican competition "the Best teacher of the University".
- Evaluating the performance of academic staff indicators such as quality of personnel potential of teachers, the quality of research activities of the faculty, the quality of the teaching work and the quality of vocational training Evaluation of research activities carried out academic staff with the following criteria: academic qualification of teachers; participate in research projects and training of the teaching staff; participation in research conferences of national and international importance; participation in the preparation of the teaching staff; Scientific and publication activities, seminars in disciplines. The next criteria is related academic mobility that is inviting scholars of universities of Kazakhstan, near and far abroad, is leaving teachers in higher education institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, near and far abroad for training in refresher courses and participating in scientific workshops. In academic mobility programs, educational and methodological training on an individual plan on the basis of other universities,training scientific and industrial specialty(in service education) at the enterprises of the city and the region, is also done.
Summative assessment
The assessment takes place at the end of a course or teaching unit and is called summative assessment. A summative assessment may be a school test you set or it could be a public examination (3). This assessment is named as end-of-lesson assessment. Summative assessment is to make decision about achievements of students, the quality of teaching procedure, the implements of teaching and teaching program by feedback constructed from results of summative assessment. This type of assessment provides opportunities to prepare all components of program; curriculum, teaching techniques, tools; to develop the young instructors; and to select the best teachers.
Comprehensive assessment
Comprehensive assessment affects these above kinds of assessments with an overall determination of results of teaching and learning activities. Comprehensive assessment of professional activity of academic staff covers educational, methodological, scientific and educational work and takes into account the results of the questionnaire Teacher with student eyes". According to the results of the comprehensive assessment is made rating card of academic staff. Comprehensive assessment of teachers, representing more complete, accurate and therefore more objective information about the teachers, is the basis for competition among teachers for vacant positions, the formation of a reserve for the post of management board.
Conclusion
To achieve for all assessment affairs, educational organizations must have a strong positive opportunities; high scientific and pedagogical potential; high proportion of young scientists; the compliance level of professional training of faculty to the profile of educational programs of the university; the presence of an effective mechanism of recruiting selection of teachers and selection and evaluation of their professional achievements; the involvement of teachers in the implementation of educational programs with the goal of creating a system of “Education Science practical activity (production)”; presence of effective system of stimulating the instructors; motivation of teaching staff; the expansion of international partnerships in the framework of the guest lectures of foreign professors, training of academics; attracting young professionals to participate in domestic and international research projects; participating in conferences, research internships and seminars.
The educational environment whereexploratory, student-centered, constructive and researchable began to appreciate in today. This environment also affected the assessment and dissemination of quality. We understand the need to diversify the current evaluation approaches and practices in theeducation field. In this the frame, the followingrecommendations should be represented;
- To increase the number of places for targeted training of students at the leading universities;
- Funding for the expansion of international cooperation through the organization of lectures of foreign professors, training of doctors PhD, internship for teaching staff;
- To be sufficient attraction of practitioners, foreign experts, academicsto teaching;
- Integrating into the international educational and scientific space;
- To diversify the forms of involvement of practitioners to implement all the educational
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