Measurement is the process of acquiring quantitative data representing the degree of existence of any entity or characteristics. Variety of instruments and techniques are used in measuring the quantity of existence, for example, thermometer, stethoscope, test, etc.

Evaluation is the decision on the value judgement of the measurement results in respect to pre-specified criteria. The decision on pass-fail, satisfied-unsatisfied, and grade assigning to student learning outcomes is the function of evaluation.

Assessment is the full range of procedures used to gain information about student learning (observation, ratings of performance, paper-and-pencil tests, etc.) and the formation of value judgements concerning learning progress, (tinn and Gronlund 2000, 31). In other word, assessment is the combination of measurement and evaluation.

Student performance is the information about what a student knows or is able to do.

Educational standards are statements that reflect what students should know and be able to do within a particular discipline. There are many terms equivalent to standards: benchmarks, expectations, goals and objectives, learning results, learning outcomes.

Content standards refer to the content — or knowledge and skills — students should acquire in various academic disciplines, to indicate 'Vhat student should know and be able to do."

Performance standards specify "how good is good", are used to assess the degree to which students have attained standards in an academic area. Performance standards refer to the quality of performance or level of proficiency required, for example, 4 = outstanding, 3 = exemplary, 2 = proficient, 1 = progressing, O = standard not met.

In the 21st century, there have been many movements in education. The paradigm shift in educational measurement and evaluation is apart of new challenges. This paper is intended to provide some significant change in educational assessment.

Significant Challenges in Educational Assessment

1. Assessment is central, not peripheral, to instruction. Indeed, learning depends on the goals provided by assessment and on the adjustment based on its results. We learn through receiving and using feedback, Based on the clear and worthy achievement targets, the objective of assessment is to do as through an appraisal as possible of what a student knows and is able to do with regard to academic standards.

   The aim of assessment is primarily to educate and improve student performance. Assessment should be deliberately designed to teach by revealing to students what worthy professional work looks like, and should provide rich and useful feedback to all students and to their instructors for performance improvement.

2. The standard-based assessment has been emphasized so as to assure the public that all students graduated in each discipline possess the maximum professional abilities. In this regard, the research on current advanced movements and public demand in certain discipline will be useful for continuing update on course design, instructional strategy, and performance assessment. Not only the balanced knowledge and skills of expected learning outcomes will be designed, but the higher weight of significant abilities should also be emphasized.
3. The use of integrated knowledge and skills toward high level of application to complex problem solving has been designed. It has been recognized that the piece meal fractions of knowledge and skills are not sufficient for guaranteeing the success in handling the real life situations. The problem-based and project based assessment will be significant tasks for assessing learning outcomes. In the test design, the measurement of comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis of meaningful and challenging situations are needed. It has been preferred to design tasks that require thoughtful responsiveness, not just plugged-in knowledge and skills.
4. The authentic or performance assessment with the appropriate scoring rubrics has been emphasized more in education. Authentic assessment, or alternative assessment, requires students to use higher-level thinking skills to perform, create, or solve real-life problem, not just choose one of several designated responses as on a multiple-choice test items. An instructor might use authentic assessment to evaluate the quality of individual and small group projects, videotaped demonstrations of skills, or participation in community-based activities. In science, for example, students might design and conduct an experiment to solve a problem and then explain in writing how they solved the problem. Authentic assessments require students to solve problems or to work on tasks that approximate as much as possible those they will encounter beyond the classroom, for example, writing a brochure, creating a recipe, writing and directing a play, critiquing a performance, inventing something useful, producing a video, creating a model.

   Performance-based assessment is based on observation and judgment. We observe a student perform a task or review a student-produced product, and we judge its quality. The performance-based assessment has been moved from assessing "the ability to know" to assessing "the ability to do or to use what they know."

   Portfolio assessment is based on a collection of student work that tell a story of a learner's growth in proficiency, long-term achievement, and significant accomplishments in a given academic area.

   The scoring rubrics are needed for accurate and fair judgment of student performance and products. Scoring rubrics are rating scales that consist of preestablished performance criteria. Rubrics should emphasize conceptual knowledge and levels of proficiency rather than mechanical skills and/or the surface oflanguage (grammar, spelling, etc.), unless these are skills being tested.

5. Assessment systems allow for multiple methods to assess students' progress toward meeting learning objectives and for multiple but equivalent ways for students to express knowledge and understanding. To assess student learning, instructors use both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative approaches make use of measurement techniques like multiple-choice items, essay items, and authentic assessment. Qualitative approaches may include formal and informal observations of students' performance on various learning tasks, or students' self-reports of their interests and attitudes. Major types of assessment methods are selected-response tests, supply response tests, restricted performance assessment, and extended performance assessment. There has been a trend toward making traditional paper- and-pencil tests more authentic or have greater realism.
6. The collaborative research-based assessment has been found useful. It is the combination of student learning contract and individualized learning systems. The basic steps are:
   • Student-instructor contract on expected learning outcomes that meet the desired content standards and performance standards.
   • Students develop the study plan on enroute information acquisition and development of the body of knowledge and required skills
   • Students undertake the learning activities, the instructors monitor the progress of accomplishment and supervise the necessary adjustment
   • Students present the learning outputs.
   • The instructors assess the learning outcomes by using multiple methods, and judge the student achievement in regard to the specified contract.

Conclusion

hi view of rapid change in advanced technology and increase in public demand of academic excellence provided by the university, the continuous improvement of educational systems is imperative. The up-to-date expertise in academic discipline and the great teacher spirit in inspiring students' learning toward the maximum accomplishment of desirable quality standards will be the most importnt task for all of us in the coming years.