From Assessment Cocktail to Assessment Symphony: The Development of Best Assessment Practices

Introduction of the best possible assessment practices is a requirement for any institution seeking to foster excellence in its students. Assessment practices have been assumed to drive students׳ learning. However the extent of which this driving role of assessment negatively or positively influences attainment of curriculum objectives and educational outcomes is not well known. In an effort to improve assessment practices, assessment has moved from an era of strict implementation of assessment of learning and a dominance of the psychometric theory into a focus on assessment for learning. In the latter view, a cocktail of assessments is proposed to enhance students׳ learning. In this paper, we are suggesting that well-planned assessment, summative and formative, may contribute to a positive effect of assessment on student learning and may result in desired educational effects. This practice of assessment should take into consideration the implemented curriculum, the institution culture, and the practiced health care setup. We call this well planned assessment an "assessment symphony". The successful implementation of such assessment symphony requires the willingness of an institution to critically look at its assessment and further efforts that are beyond the power of an individual medical school; such as modifying the provision of job opportunities and a change in the national educational culture.Despite the proven positive effects of formative compared to summative assessment on students׳ learning, most examinations in medical schools are still summative. Even assessment that is meant to be formative, is often used for summative decision making. The question therefore is: Are we reversing back to the psychometric era?