Methodological Foundations of Diagnostic Assessment in Improving the Quality of Education: From Traditional Assessment to Transformation

The modern educational process is aimed at the comprehensive development of students and the formation of their competencies. A key component in achieving this goal is the assessment system. Assessment not only determines students’ level of knowledge but also serves as an important mechanism for identifying the development of knowledge, needs, challenges, and capabilities of learners in subsequent stages of the learning process.
In recent years, educational systems worldwide have been transitioning to new assessment approaches, increasing the importance of diagnostic assessment. Diagnostic assessment allows for the analysis of not only learners’ actual outcomes but also the learning process itself. This article discusses the theoretical and methodological aspects of diagnostic assessment, its advantages, and its practical application in the educational process.
The aim of this study is to determine the significance of traditional and diagnostic assessment in foreign language teaching in higher education institutions. The research tasks include investigating the differences between traditional and diagnostic teaching and assessment, as well as identifying the most common difficulties students face in learning a foreign language and addressing them through diagnostic teaching and assessment.
The study employed experimental research, observation, questionnaires, interviews, and analysis. The experiment was conducted over five weeks at the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, involving 200 students and 25 faculty members. The results showed a positive effect, with an improvement of 10–11% in performance indicators.
Thus, with the participation of the experimental group, the study successfully achieved its objectives: data were collected from teachers and students, questionnaires and tests were conducted, individual learning plans were developed for each student, and diagnostic teaching and assessment enabled forecasting and improvement of students’ educational achievements.