School based continuous assessment ...possible implementation pitfalls

THE new curriculum framework for Primary and Secondary Education 2015- 2022, is a very ambitious project which is meant to transform education for the better ( hopefully) if what is envisioned on paper can be meticulously digested in to realistic actionable targets. However, policy makers need to be empirical on what is possible given the meager resources available to turn the blue print in to reality. There has been a lot of anxiety among teachers, parents, and various stakeholders on the new curriculum framework. I wish to discuss one component of the new curriculum; continuous assessment, in terms of possible challenges that may be encountered on implementation, including challenges that have already been experienced at its infancy. Consideration of such issues may avert major hiccups. They say a stitch in time saves nine.

What is assessment? Basically, “assessment of learners is a way of finding out what learners know, understand and can do” (du Plessis, Prouty, Schubert, Habib& St George, 2003). Learners can be assessed in various ways. In Zimbabwe, Primary and Secondary Education has been based on mainly summative assessment where learners were subjected to external examinations from ZIMSEC at the end of the learning cycle.

The new curriculum framework seeks to introduce continuous assessment or teacher developed assessments contributing 30% or more to the overall mark of the learner in a learning area.

Continuous assessment is a way of assessing learners done by teachers at the school on what has been taught using tests, assignments, pro- jects, etc.

According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, teacher developed assessment have the following merits:

◆ Provide feedback on what and how learners learn in time to modify or personalise instruction.

◆ Allow teachers to assess a broad range of traits, skills and abilities.

◆ Make assessment itself a learning experience and deepen learner engagement in content. Teacher developed assessment implementation pitfalls

Whilst these advantages are acknowledged, the following implementation pitfalls need our due attention:

Unreliable and inflated contin

uous assessment marks.

The South African experience indicates that teacher developed assessments are subject to manipulation by teachers who will give inf lated marks to their students. This might be caused by a teacher- learner attachment which usually compromises teachers’ objectivity. Even if a teacher may want to be professional and objective, arm twisting tactics by school authorities will force teachers to give inf lated marks. For example, how will a teacher give a fair mark to a learner who is a child or a relative of the Head, fellow teachers, resident pastor of the responsible authority, local politician and various other inf luential people? Professor van der Berg’s empirical findings on South Africa Matriculation school based assessment, noted that teachers were excessively too lenient and were directly or indirectly incentivised to be lenient so much that marks on continuous assessment were not linked in any way to expected learning outcomes. The poor remuneration and working conditions being experienced by teachers currently in Zimbabwe, ever since the scrapping of monetary incentives, does not provide a firm ground for the implementation of this framework. These poor working conditions may force teachers to accept bribes for marks. The cancer of corruption may greatly compromise our examination standards.

Resource disparities

among schools

There is a wide gulf among our Schools in Zimbabwe in terms of resources. Former group ‘A’ schools have a lot of resources and parents who send their children to such schools can afford to provide almost everything that is required at school. On the extreme, we have a lot of satellite schools in commercial farms of which some schools might be having lessons in tobacco barns. These disparities will compromise the homogeneity of continuous assessment in terms of expected learning outcomes.

Poor Knowledge of the

learning area Teachers are not at the same level of knowledge and understanding of their learning areas. This is different from having paper qualifications. Some teachers are well decorated in terms of paper qualifications but more often some of these highly decorated peers have dismally failed to exhibit some basic comprehension of the learning area. Usually a teacher with a low level of learning area mastery will compensate by awarding inflated marks to learners.

Teachers negative attitude towards the new curriculum The new curriculum framework should be marketed positively to teachers so that they embrace it whole heartedly. The system will require a lot of paper work, which is extra work, why not think of extra incentives to come with the new framework?

Non- availability of continuous assessment guidelines in Schools

This is a glaring anomaly given that the new curriculum has already been introduced yet teachers do not know the nature of continuous assessment to be given to learners. These guidelines should be for each learning area at all levels. What is the nature of tests and projects to be given to learners?

The Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education 2015- 2022 good strategy on paper, the real test of character is on implementation. I will quote from Jeroen De Flander,“a strategy , even a great one , doesn’t implement itself.” ◆ Divaries Jaravaza is a lecturer at Bindura University of Science Education. He writes here in his personal capacity.

MM REMARKS:

There is nothing as educationally healthy and enriching as democratising opinion making about important policy decisions that affect citizens of a democratic country like beautiful Zimbabwe. The more people talk about the curriculum, the more it enjoys democratic space in a civilized democracy. Let the people speak. Even those who are wrong or little informed have a right to their opinion about a curriculum that will affect them. This very remark is not necessarily the opinion of The Manica Post. Morris Mtisi writes in his personal capacity as the paper’s educational materials writer and guest columnist. You can contact me on email mtisimorris41@ gmail. com or cellphone: 0883 883 293 also on WhatsApp.

I invite constructive critics of the new curriculum to my showHEAD- TO-HEAD WITH MM any day for a pre-recording of your opinions and views on DIAMONDFM Radioyour own and only radio station. Let’s make a date. My contact details appear above.