Assessment and Evaluation Assignment
Section A 1. Critically reflect on the future orientations of evaluation at Primary School level, as recommended in the National Curriculum Framework.
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) favors a shift from subject-centered to a child-centered teaching and learning practices. The concern is more about how the child learns and not what the child is learning albeit the content is important as well. By placing the student/s at the heart of the education system, we are shifting to a child centered and holistic system of evaluation which will include remedial measures as well. Assessment is carried out to see, to what extent the objectives of learning have been attained; it should encompass the three domains of learning namely cognitive, psychomotor and affective, so as to make teaching and learning process more efficacious.
‘Assessment should reflect and communicate teaching and learning expectations (curriculum-based assessment) and provide a fair opportunity to all students to show and how they have learnt (performance-based curriculum). In these way teachers, parents and students will be aware of the progress of the teaching and learning taken place throughout the whole academic year’.1
As such, we distinguish three main orientations.
1) We are moving away from summative to formative assessment:
Continuous Assessment is the first step taken to gear the primary educational system towards formative assessment. Consequently, the primary schooling is divided into three main stages.
Stage 1: Assessment in Standard I and Standard II is based on baseline cognitive profiling and communicative synchrony alongside examinations. Information about the competencies and aptitudes of the learners are recorded in the Student Record Card (SRC) and behaviours are evaluated during dyadic interaction between teacher and student.2
1 – Pg 145, the NCF.
2 - Pg 165,166, the NCF.
Stage 2 and Stage 3: There is the introduction of Continuous Assessment which
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) favors a shift from subject-centered to a child-centered teaching and learning practices. The concern is more about how the child learns and not what the child is learning albeit the content is important as well. By placing the student/s at the heart of the education system, we are shifting to a child centered and holistic system of evaluation which will include remedial measures as well. Assessment is carried out to see, to what extent the objectives of learning have been attained; it should encompass the three domains of learning namely cognitive, psychomotor and affective, so as to make teaching and learning process more efficacious.
‘Assessment should reflect and communicate teaching and learning expectations (curriculum-based assessment) and provide a fair opportunity to all students to show and how they have learnt (performance-based curriculum). In these way teachers, parents and students will be aware of the progress of the teaching and learning taken place throughout the whole academic year’.1
As such, we distinguish three main orientations.
1) We are moving away from summative to formative assessment:
Continuous Assessment is the first step taken to gear the primary educational system towards formative assessment. Consequently, the primary schooling is divided into three main stages.
Stage 1: Assessment in Standard I and Standard II is based on baseline cognitive profiling and communicative synchrony alongside examinations. Information about the competencies and aptitudes of the learners are recorded in the Student Record Card (SRC) and behaviours are evaluated during dyadic interaction between teacher and student.2
1 – Pg 145, the NCF.
2 - Pg 165,166, the NCF.
Stage 2 and Stage 3: There is the introduction of Continuous Assessment which
Bibliography: 1) The National Curriculum Framework 2008. 2) Using standardized tests in education, Mehrens, W. A. & Lehmann. 3) Measurement and evaluation in the school, Worthen, B.R., Borg, W. R., & White, K.R. 4) Assessment for Learning, Kevin Goode et al. 5) Beginning Teaching and Beyond, Kevin Len and Barry King. 6) Standard III Science textbook. 7) Lecture Notes. 8) Wikipedia