"...and education is a process which helps the learner to change in many ways, some intentional, others quite unintentional"  

Donna Mecado

Donna Mecado  goes on to say that learning is a process which can be observed and assessed while it is taking place. Do you agree? If you do, then you have agreed that assessment is part of the learning process. Continuous assessment can provide valuable information to help the learner through the learning process. 

Assessment is used for many purposes. According to Emilia Potenza (in The Teacher - Daily Mail & Guardian, September 27, 2000) assessment can be used to ...

• identify the needs of the learners
• plan learning/decide where to start
• track learner progress
• diagnose problems
• help learners improve their work
• adjust the focus and the pace of learning
• provide evidence of learners' level of achievement
• judge the effectiveness of the learning programme/s
• assess your own teaching

We have summarised her points into three main areas

• to help students learn
• to report on student progress
• to help you to make decisions about your teaching