Assessment what is it really?

I've had some bad experiences with assessment, for instance:
Mrs. Mcbreen in room 117 writes in green so you can't!
(and yes I swear that this is real, it was for my 8th grade health class)

Teachers these days are told not to write in red pen because it has bad connotations for the student. Red for the student equals fail. So as soon as they see it they are twice as likely to throw their papers in the trash without even looking at the grade.
See brief news article:
Red Pens

So what are some of the types of assessment? They can include tests, quizzes, questions, labs, discussions, etc. The point is that the teacher has to have a clear idea of what the student is suppose to learn. It's also important to tell the students what you except of them. I didn't make this very clear when I taught a lesson on recombinant DNA. I knew what I wanted them to get out of it, but the students only had a vague idea. Not going to make that mistake again!

So then, what are grades? What does that A or F really mean? If you get a C do you think yes I passed or how did everything go so horribly wrong? And whenever you get a B don't you always ask yourself why didn't I get an A?
See this site (though I think it sounds like they are trying to fail all their students):
Grades

So how should students be assessed? First off, grades are only a result they do not reflect the amount of effort a student put in. There are such things as "effort grades", for instance if the student does the whole assignment by does not necessarily get it entirely correct. You could judge how much students have learned by making them do a presentation or making a model. Anything that will even the playing field a little between effort and results. Even though teachers must adhere to testing and getting students prepared for that it does not mean that effort should go unrewarded.