Saturday 10 February 2018

Assessment in Education: An evaluation tool or a weapon? (Jamaican Perspective)



Image result for test paper


Over the decades, Jamaica’s education system has undergone periods of development.  Many schools that started from the churches and evolved into government funded institutions.  Teachers’ colleges opened and trained teachers to educate the masses in various disciplined suited for the nation’s majority.  Then, various types standardization of our education system were  established  producing students who were exposed to college trained teachers who taught from specifically designed curriculum. 

Who still remember “Common Entrance Examinations?” This was viewed as a period of stress because the results were placed in the various printing presses at the time and if your name was not published, it felt like your life was over! This caused much embarrassment for many students. Since then, much has changed and so in 1999 the Ministry of Education changed this national assessment tool to Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).  Though a good tool of assessment, which tested knowledge, skill and content application of students, many of the results were misused.  While many students were placed in the schools of choice, others were placed in under resourced schools that could not cater to their needs.

Image result for test paper


Therefore, the question is asked about the purpose of assessment? Is it to give both students and teachers a better view of what is taught, skills acquired and design approaches, revision and update of content and improve on formative and summative assessments or is it now just for students and teachers to boast that the students that they teach are capable of passing and exam with their guidance?  Whatever the answer, many of our students do not see assessment in a positive light.   In my interviews with students at the secondary and undergrad levels over the years, many students see assessment as a stress mechanism for them to dislike learning.  Many expressed the desire to leave the institutions and some have left, while others harden their hearts from the joy of learning something new. They become anxious to leave the institutions and  do not focus on mastery and push mainly quantity of content.

Many times students express fear of being in classes taught by some lecturers where it was once boasted that if success is achieved from them in the first examination, that the students is regarded as brilliant.  But, why were those teachers/lecturers allowed to teach with such low success rates?  Unfortunately, this still exists today in the 21st century.

Suggestions to improve assessment: Revision of the syllabus, course outlines to make it more relevant and teacher/learner friendly; revision of content produced at the teachers’ colleges/universities; improve the learning environment (class setting, furniture and technology); acquire better teaching resources; dialogue with public and private sector in which employs the “educated” graduates; face-to-face listening session with the students; and improve the areas of assessment with the aid of curriculum specialist from both MOE and universities.  Our education system is considered to be the best.  This is evident in the acceptance of our students and teachers in institutions outside our shores.  Let us not make assessment feels like a weapon of mental destruction, but a tool of placement for our students to fit into the 21st century work space.