CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In any educational system there are three primary aspects of the learning-teaching

process which are geared towards its end goal- that of growth and progress in knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes of the students. First, educational goals are established either implicitly or explicitly. Secondly, learning experiences are designed to carry out the attainment of the goals. Finally, an evaluation is conducted to determine the extent to which the objectives have been established. This evaluation aspect has become the focus of study in the educational field. Evaluation involves the summing-up processes in which value judgments play a large part, as in grading and promoting students. Most educators considered that a school’s main business is promoting growth towards desirable and societal objectives; fewer agree on who should judge the desirability of these objectives. However, since all schools focus on student progress as the ultimate criterion, it is important to evaluate the status and gains of students expertly. If our evaluation procedures are poor, then the quality of the information on which we make judgments can not be adequate. Measurement and evaluation are indispensable to the growth of scientific education. They encompass judgments made by teachers and administrators. An important phase of this educational process involves the construction, administration, and scoring of tests. Before it is possible to make a practical judgment some aspects of status must be measure. One of the measures of evaluating students’ status or change is an achievement status or change in an achievement test. Flores (1960) asserts that achievement test is used as an instrument to secure and to measure pupil performance. It may be in the form of questions, exercises or problems to which the pupil