L|terature

L|terature on teachers know|edegeor sk|||s on test construct|on and adm|n|strat|on

teachers use of cont|nuous assessment
9repar|ng quest|onna|res teachers know|edge on assessment

ARE TEACHERS READY?

Few teachers are prepared to Iace the challenges oI classroom assessment because they have not
been given the opportunity to learn to do so. It is currently the case that only about a dozen states
explicitly require competence in assessment as a condition to be licensed to teach. Moreover,
there is no licensing examination in place at the state or Iederal level in the U.S. that veriIies
competence in assessment. Thus teacher preparation programs have taken little note oI
competence in assessment, and the vast majority oI programs Iail to provide the assessment
literacy required to enable teachers to engage in assessment for learning. It has been so Ior
decades. Furthermore, lest we believe that teachers can turn to their principals Ior help, it is
currently the case that almost no states require competence in assessment as a condition to be
licensed as a principal or school administrator at any level. Consequently, assessment training is
almost nonexistent in administrator training programs.
It has been so Ior decades. Thus we remain a national Iaculty that is unschooled in the principles
oI sound assessment whether assessment of or for learning. This Iact has been a matter oI
record Ior decades. To date, as a nation, we have invested almost nothing in assessment for
learning. Te a c hers rarely have the opportunity to learn how to use assessment as a teaching
and learning tool. And our vigorous eIIorts to assess learning through our various
l a years oI standard i zed tests cannot overcome the eIIects oI this reality.

As a result oI this state oI aIIairs, we Iace the danger that student progress may be mismeasured,
day to day, in classrooms across the nation. That means that all the critically important day-to-
day instructional decisions made by students, teachers, and parents may be based on
misinIormation about student success. The result is the misdiagnosis oI student needs, students`
misunderstanding oI their own ability to learn, miscommunication to parents and others about
student progress, and virtually no eIIective assessment for learing in classrooms.
The extremely harmIul consequences Ior student learning are obvious.






How benefitHow does continuous assessment benefitteachers?teachers?
A teacher's job is to ensure that all learners learn. She does this by teaching in a variety of
ways. n order to know if the learners are learning, the teacher needs continuous
assessment to inform her about the learners' progress. Looking at the assessments tells a
teacher many things.
Here are some things continuous assessments may tell a teacher:
which learners are struggling with a topic or skill;
what aspect of the topic is difficult for the learners;
which learners are grasping the topic and skill well; and
whether the teaching was effective at helping learners learn.
continuous assessment :practical guide Ior teachers)



How can teachers develop good selected re-sponse assessment activities?
The most traditional or standard kind of assessments that most teachers are familiar with is
the selected response type of assessment. n these, the learner chooses a response from
several that are provided. This is a common way of assessing learners on exams and tests
when there are large numbers of learners taking the tests. These types of assessments are
easy to mark. Examples of these types of selected response assessments are multiple
choice, true and false, fill in the blank, matching. n this type of assessment the correct
response is given, along with other incorrect responses. The learner selects the response
which is the correct one from the group of responses that are provided. Because many
teachers are familiar with this type of assessment these will not be discussed here.




How can teachers develop good product as-assessments?

Product assessments can be described as a tangible (can be touched with the hands)
objects created by the student and can be viewed by the teacher. Product assessments
differ from performance assessments because they are physical pieces of stu- dent work
that can be touched. Performances need to be observed or heard in order to assess them.
hen we ask learners to produce something it often is a chance for them to use knowledge
they have gained. n the process of making the product, they gain a deeper understanding
of the topic or skills. Product assessments take time. hile learners are carrying out the
assessment activity, they may require guidance from the teacher. The teacher's role is to
offer suggestions and feedback to help the learner stay on track and on task. The
conversation between the student and teacher at this stage can be very informative for the
teacher. The teacher can find out something about how the learner understands the topic
and direct the learner to more understanding.
Some examples of product assessments are listed in Table 9. n a later section we will
describe how to evaluate the products for quality.
























Questionnair
ppend|x uest|onna|re
Meke||e Un|vers|ty
Co||ege of 8us|ness and Lconom|cs
Department of Management
M8 program
Dear respondents
9urpose 1he ob[ecLlve of Lhe quesLlonnalre ls Lo collecL lnformaLlon abouL assessmenL
1he lnformaLlon you provlde wlll be valuable for Lhe successes of Lhls research
pro[ecL lease be honesL and ob[ecLlve whlle fllllng Lhe quesLlonnalre
Thank you in advance
nstruct|on 1hese quesLlonnalres have been deslgned Lo assess Lhe lease read each
sLaLemenL carefully and lndlcaLe your answer by marklng ( ln Lhe approprlaLe box

1 Sex
,ale
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Age group
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In the Iollowing table issues related to the importance oI continous assessment methods are
included. please state rate in ord





















Suggestions for further research /reflection for further study

The continuous assessment approach has many advantages over the short method oI assessment. It
will make assessment more meaningIul and more representative oI the learners` overall abilities.
However, problems will occur Irom time to time in the course oI its application in our schools. Many
oI these problems will only be known when Iollow-up occurs. I will suggest that researchers should
be conducted into the Iollowing areas:
Teachers` perception and understanding oI continuous assessment.
Teachers` knowledge oI skills oI test construction and administration.
Teachers` attitudes toward the programme.
The relationship between continuous assessment scores and the Iinal scores in the Junior Secondary
CertiIicate Examination.

Continuous assessment in our schools: advantages and problems )
. A. Alausa, High School Teacher, Kolin Foundation Secondary School, Arandis.)