CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT IN PRIMARY AND …

1 489. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY. SCHOOLS: ISSUES AND PROBLEMS. R. A. Ahukanna, Department of Educational Foundations and Administration/Psychology, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri. M. I. Onu, Department of Educational Foundations and Administration/Psychology, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri. P. N. Ukah, Department of Educational Foundations and Administration/Psychology, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri. Abstract The paper discusses the issues and problems of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT in PRIMARY and secondary schools. It explains the meaning of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT as the mechanism whereby the final grading of learner's cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of learning systematically takes account of their performance during a given period of schooling. It also cited the legal provision of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT in our educational system.

2 The purposes of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT were highlighted to include finding out the extent of students' knowledge, understanding and skills learnt. The students' weakness and strengths which serve as a feedback to the teacher on where extra work needs to be done. The problems and weakness of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT were highlighted to include that some teachers do not posses the required competences for the implementation of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT . It was also observed that the task is weighing the teachers down. Teachers focus their greatest attention on measuring cognitive attainment rather than affective and psychomotor behaviours of the students. It was observed that majority of the teachers in our public PRIMARY and secondary schools exhibit a high level of incompetence in the use of statistical tools. The skill is necessary in presenting students' performance in a neat and logical manner. The benefits of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT is that, it is guidance oriented since it involves data gathering over a long period of time, yields more accurate data for the teacher to modify instruction.

3 It is recommended that government should mount more intensive seminars and workshops to educate teachers on the appropriate principles of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT . That teachers need to be professionally and attitudinally prepared to operate the system. 490. Journal of Teacher Perspective be by CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT . The NPE. Educational ASSESSMENT provides (2004) also stated that educational the necessary feedback education ASSESSMENT and evaluation shall be practitioners require to maximize the liberalized by their being based in whole or outcome of educational efforts. It is part of in part on CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT of the students learning. Teachers have always progress of the individual. What then is made judgments about the progress of their CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT ? Falayo (1986). students from the ASSESSMENT . The defined CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT as the ASSESSMENT of learners performance mechanism whereby the final grading of provides the objective evidence necessary learners in cognitive, affective and in the decision making process.

4 Psychomotor domains of learning Cone (1991:653) stated that good systematically takes account of their measurement resulting in accurate data is performance during a given period of the foundation of sound decision making. schooling Prior to the institution of The major problems of ASSESSMENT of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT procedure of learners have been in the approaches or evaluation, one-short summative methods. According to Alausa (1996) the evaluation has been seriously, criticized. question that has been bothering Mkpa (1985) observed that it constituted a educational practitioners since time threat to learners who saw examinations as immemorial are: the sole determinant of their future 1. Would a one-short examination academic and career destines . Ohuche adequately assess what a learner has learnt (1988:18) as well stated that teachers could over a long period of schooling? not introduce innovation both in the 2.

5 How would you grade a learner teaching and evaluation of their students, who happens to fall ill and could not write partly because of the straight jacket the final examination? To answer these syllabus followed by the external questions, educational measurement examining bodies. Therefore the experts and educational policy makers CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT system of have come up with the concept of evaluation was aimed at correcting the CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT . anomalies inherent in the one-short summative evaluation. Baker (1991) stated Legal Provisions of CONTINUOUS that the CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT should ASSESSMENT involve a formal ASSESSMENT of learners'. In this modern age, CONTINUOUS affective characteristics and motivation, in ASSESSMENT has been widely considered as which they will need to demonstrate their the most valid and reliable method of commitment to tasks over time, their work- ASSESSMENT leading to improved force readiness and their competence in instructional method.

6 The National Policy team or group performance context. From on Education (2004) provides that these definitions, CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT examination in our school system should makes use of variety of instruments, CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT in PRIMARY and 491. assessing various components of learning i. To obtain a truer picture of the child's not only the thinking process but including ability than would be obtained from a behaviour and personality traits. The single ASSESSMENT . CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT approach will ii. To provide a CONTINUOUS record of the capture the full range of learners' student's physical, social and personal performance. The teachers and qualities. administrators would be able to assess iii. To serve as a monitoring device giving learners' progress and also have time to feedback to the students about the correct their problems. effectiveness of his or her learning. iv. To encourage teacher's to implement Purposes of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT in the designed instruction objectives.

7 The School System v. To diagnose the strength and weakness ASSESSMENT generally is done for a of the individual children and to apply number of purposes. ASSESSMENT gives a corrective actions when lack of clue to how much knowledge a learner has progress is observed. acquired. The ASSESSMENT reveals the vi. To help the teacher guidance counselor learners area of weakness and strength. to give academics and psychological Murihead (1997) in his opinion guidance to students as necessary. noted that students are assessed with a Capper (1996:20) stated the rationale for a view of finding out the extent of their functional ASSESSMENT as follows: knowledge, understanding and skills they i. To find out if children are learning. have learn. Secondly, the knowledge of the ii. To determine if there is need to change students' weakness and strengths serve as a method of learning. feedback to the teacher on where extra iii.

8 To find out if children are having work needs to be done and where there has problems in learning. been mispresentation, which needs to be iv. To find out if teaching is helpful. corrected. Obinayu 91997) calls v. To ensure that children are helped or ASSESSMENT a discovering point, which assisted to learn. needs hammering, and repetition. Grant vi. To prepare a teacher for discussion (1978) is of the opinion that after with parents, other teachers and examination those who have mastered thee community members. required skills should be shown the next vii. To know the learners better. stage, while those who made many viii. To prepare teachers to determine if mistakes can be taught again. Any learners are ready to move to other common mistake should be included in topics, skills and concepts. another test. Questions which were poorly ix. To find out if learners are ready to done in the previous test should be move to next grade.

9 Repeated, but differently. Yoloye (1988:50) x. ASSESSMENT is an essential part of indentified the following purpose of the teaching process. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT . 492. Journal of Teacher Perspective Problems and Weakness of CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT . Eme (1985) on the other hand ASSESSMENT in PRIMARY and Secondary observed that the task is weighing the School teachers down. Kanno (1995) also reported CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT in most that teachers focused their greatest public PRIMARY and secondary schools is attention on measuring cognitive beset with a lot of problems. The practice attainment rather than affective and is not really CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT psychomotor behaviour. Yoloye (1972). because its practice is still tied to formal itemized some of the following as the test settings, which are frequently problems of implementing CONTINUOUS administered. It is still concentrated on ASSESSMENT in schools.

10 Lower level of the cognitive domain. 1. Large Class Size: Nigerian Yoloye (1972) observed in his made test classrooms are oversized especially in analysis that vast majority of the urban cities many streams tests/examinations constructed by the especially the junior classes. Cases teachers have tested only the knowledge abound where junior secondary one category and little of the comprehensive. has 15 streams or over fifty (50). Okebukola (1985) confirmed that the other students each. In many cases, one domains like affective and psychomotor teacher is assigned to teach all the are often not measured at all. CONTINUOUS streams under such condition it will be ASSESSMENT has been variously defined and impracticable for the teacher to under its characteristics delimited by reputable take a thorough ASSESSMENT of the educationists. Among the most students in each stream. comprehensive definitions is that put 2.