Continuous Assessment System (CAS In Nepal)

Continuous Assessment System (CAS) implementation in the context of Nepal. Analytical view

1. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT By: Rabi Maharjan M.Ed. (4 th semester) Kathmandu University School of education

2. Essential Understandings Student learning improves through interaction with teachers skilled in the use of a variety of assessment options. How assessment information is used is more important than its format. Formative assessment has a positive effect on student learning.

3. What is Assessment ??? Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and diverse sources in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences.

4. Types of Assessment Formative and Summative Assessment Summative Assessment Norm-referenced and Criterion Referenced Performance Based Assessment Holistic Assessment Project Based Assessment Continuous Assessment

5. What is Continuous Assessment ? Continuous assessment is an approach that would capture the full range of learner’s performance that help teachers understand their learners, plan and monitor instruction and establish a viable classrooms culture. Continuous assessment is regular assessment of the learning performance related to a course module and that is separate from examinations, and accompanied by regular feedback. Many educational systems all over the world have adopted this approach in assessing learners’ achievement in many subject areas. CA of learners’ progress could be defined as a mechanism whereby the final grading of learners in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of learning systematically takes account of all their performances during a given period of schooling – Falayalo, 1986

6. Continuous Assessment…… cont’d It is the periodic and systematic method of assessing and evaluating a person’s attributes. Students receive feedback from teachers based on their performance that allows them to focus on topics they have not yet mastered. Information collected from continuous behavior of students will help teachers to better understand their strengths and weaknesses in addition to providing a comprehensive picture of each student over a period of time. Such information will help in learning of students and will afford students to readily see his or her developmental pattern through the data.

7. Purpose of Continuous Assessment Diagnostic Teaching Methodology Motivation Formative & Summative Evaluative

8. How can we achieve that purpose ?

9. Characteristics of Continuous Assessment Systematic : requires an operational plan Comprehensive : different form of tests, projects, assignments, observations, questions, group work and so on. (all in one) Cumulative : accumulated records of the students, reliable and dependable Guidance-Oriented : collected information for guidance to the learner’s development, career prospects.

10. Techniques of Continuous Assessment Question and Answer in the lesson Short Tests and Quizzes Homework Exercises/Assignments Class Tests Group Exercise Projects Exercises with Short Extended or Multiple Choice Answers

11. Advantages Of Continuous Assessment It is guidance oriented Yield more accurate data reaching the teachers early enough to modify instruction. Play vital role in diagnosing and remediating areas of learners’ weaknesses if properly anchored. Teachers and administrators would be able to assess learners’ progress and would have time to correct the problems. It is not threatening to learners

12. Advantages Of Continuous Assessment….. Cont’d It encourages more teacher participation in the overall assessment or grading of his/her learners. Holistic representation of learners. Teachers can modify their pedagogical strategies to include the construction of remediation activities for students Individual interaction between teachers and students foster their relation

13. Problems of Implementing Continuous Assessment in Schools Finance Adaptation of Change Training of Teachers Mode of Operation Record Keeping Favoritism Overpopulation Over Concentration in written test Uniformity

14. Problems of Implementing Continuous Assessment in Schools…. cont’d Lack of appropriate skills of teachers, test construction and administration and their attitudes towards CAS Resistance of change and time constraint Lack of keen observation to assess affective outcomes, Lack of knowledge about basic arithmetical operations of addition and multiplication while scoring.

15. Guidelines of Planning and Organizing Continuous Assessment Students not overstressed Sufficient time to prepare Written guidelines and instructions – instantly recognizable and clear Create opportunities to discuss with students and stuffs before and after the implementation Ensure assessment technique is progressive and properly integrated Unless there is commitment, diligence and sacrifice on the part of the teacher, CA will not be successful.

16. Continuous Assessment System in Nepal Piloting program was introduced in five Compulsory Primary Education (CPE) districts in education year 2000/1 in grade 1. Ninth plan and tenth plan stated to introduce continuous evaluation system at the primary level. Ninth plans targeted to experimentally implement the liberal promotion policy to upgrade from grade 1 to 3. Tenth plan has programmed to introduce continuous assessment system up to grade 5 on the basis of piloted experiment and experience. Now it has been implemented up to grade 7/8.

17. Findings and Conclusions on CAS in Nepal Dropout and attendance situation in the CAS piloted schools did not improve. The CDC officers who were directly involved in CAS did not believe on children’s less experience and practice about examination system. Not able to show any fixed trend in the improvement of students’ achievement. Lack of regular and proper monitoring of the CAS program. Lack of responsibility feeling on the part of all stakeholders. Teachers did not use the information received from CAS for the improvement of instruction. They used it for upgrading purpose not for formative purposes.

18. Basic Principles of CAS in Nepal Teaching methodology is student-centered not class-based All the learning outcomes of the curriculum are used as the basis of the teaching and assessment of the students The class teacher assess the students along with teaching on a continuous basis. There is no separate periodical examination The class teach keeps the student progress record using a specific set of learning outcome indicators. The students’ progress records are kept in their portfolios. Examples of students’ work are kept in their portfolios.