External and internal evaluation

It is also possible to distinguish between external evaluation and internal evaluation.

External evaluation. This is evaluation that is carried out by someone who is (or was) not directly
involved in the development or operation of the system being evaluated, ie by someone from outwith the
project team. Clearly, such an external evaluator has a number of advantages, bringing (it is to be hoped)
objectivity, lack of vested interest, and the ability to look at matters from a fresh perspective. An external
evaluator also has a number of disadvantages, however, most of which are related to relative value
systems and to the lack of involvement the evaluator has had in project-related decisions. Such an
evaluator may not, for example, fully appreciate why the development team chose to act in a particular
way, or appreciate the thinking that lay behind certain decisions. The project team may also feel
threatened by the evaluator, and feel that alien values or a negative, 'nit-picking' approach are being
adopted.

Internal evaluation. This is evaluation that is carried out by someone from the actual project team.
Clearly, such an evaluator has the advantage of understanding fully the thinking behind the development,
together with an appreciation of any problems that may have arisen, and should also command the trust
and cooperation of the other members of the team. On the other hand, such an evaluator may find it
difficult to make any criticisms of the work carried out, and, because of their close involvement with the
project, may be unable to suggest any innovative solutions to such problems that are identified. Such an
internal evaluator will know only too well how the members of the group have struggled to produce their
course, curriculum or package, and may shrink from the thought of involving them in more work.

Examples: Internal and External Evaluation for reading assessment

Some reading assessments are informal, frequent, and tied to curriculum and daily instructional routines
in the classroom. For example, assessments of children's daily oral language, listening, and question-
answering during group reading may be made through teachers' observation. Other assessments may be
more structured, such as spelling tests, weekly quizzes, journal writing, reports, and projects; but they are
all under the control of the teacher and embedded in the curriculum. We refer to these assessments as
"internal" because they are designed, selected, and used by teachers according to the needs of their
children. Internal assessments are used to make decisions about instruction and to report progress to
parents. In contrast, "external" assessments are designed, selected, and controlled by another person or
group--commercial publishers, district administrators, or state policymakers. Typical examples of external
assessments include standardized and commercial reading tests. External assessments occur less
frequently than internal assessments, but they usually have greater importance, more authority, and
higher stakes attached to them. External assessments have been used as indicators of both the
educational achievement of students and the quality of instruction in schools. Although external
assessments are used most often in grade 4 and beyond, there has been an increasing tendency to use
external reading assessments in K-3 classrooms. Thus, we will briefly discuss the impact of high-stakes
tests before we examine the variety of internal assessments used by successful teachers.