Title: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING: A SUGGESTION FOR APPROPRIATE BALANCE AT THE GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION BOARD
Author:
Awandia Joseph Tazitabong, Ph.D.
Abstract:
External assessment is conventionally seen as impartial, having no part to play in teaching and learning and is used to find out the extent to which students have learnt certain content. This notion is fast changing because external assessment has a strong influence on teaching and learning and therefore has the potentials to be used to promote teaching and learning. There is need for our external examination body (GCE Board) to transform its examinations into instruments for promoting quality teaching and learning. This transformation can come about only when officials of the Board and their test developers are aware of the influence their examinations exert on classroom activities. The aim of this paper is to suggest an appropriate balance between assessment for learning and assessment of learning or what the GCE board can do to help improve on the teaching -leaning process and hence improve on the acquisition of competences during the teaching-learning process. This paper has shown the retrospective force of examination on learning and that assessment has a similar backwash effect on learning. This is because, some of the competences are not taught because they are usually not tested by the examination body. The paper has also suggested good practices in terms of measuring students learning outcome and policy directions to assist educationists in carrying out quality assessment.
Keywords: Assessment, Learning, and Examination.
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