INTRODUCTION

Continuous assessment is one of the innovations introduced into Nigerian education by

the national policy on Education (2004). The basis for continuous assessment

implementation in schools is that one short examination, which was the main mode of

examination was inadequate, hence the introduction of continuous assessment.

Continuous assessment is a veritable tool in assessment in that it is comprehensive,

systematic, cumulative and guidance orientated. Many schools have since embarked on

the implementation of continuous assessment. It is not surprising therefore to find

teachers testing their pupils weekly, at the end of each unit or module etc. In recent times,

however, these tests have assumed disciplinary status to check noise making, abscentism,

truancy etc. At this juncture, continuous assessment in practice ceases to be a tool for

aiding learning. One can only call it what it is “continuous testing” which is contrary to

the definition of continuous assessment. The National steering committee on continuous

assessment led by professor Yoloye (1982) regards continuous assessment as a method of

ascertaining what a pupil gains from schooling in terms of knowledge, industry, and

character development taking into account all his/her performance in tests, assignments,

projects and other educational activities during a given period of term, year or during the

entire period of an educational level. Continuous assessment according to (Onuka, 2006;

Stiggins, 1994) in Birhanu (2013) define continuous assessment as listening closely to

student, observing student as they engaged in learning, as they are engaged with materials

and trying to understand what they understand.

What is Continuous Assessment?

Continuous assessment means assessing aspects of learners' knowledge and

understanding throughout their course as opposed to a final examination.

Continuous assessment looks at the student’s overall capabilities in the form of regular

assignments. It provides a more accurate and complete picture of the learner's level and

their understanding of what they have learned.

Each assignment has original content based on a particular module or subject area and is

evaluated by an expert coach. This allows the student to constantly and consistently

demonstrate their level of knowledge which cannot be accomplished with a final

examination alone.

THE BENEFITS OF CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

1. A better standard of learning

– Students learn as they go along, rather than cramming everything in at the end of the

course in order to complete an exam. It is also easier to put what has been learned into

action at an earlier stage.

2. A higher quality of demonstration

– To complete a course through continuous assessment, students need to demonstrate

their ability to learn and understand on a regular basis, not just at end of a course or study

year. It is more demanding to consistently demonstrate the learner’s level of knowledge

and understanding. The learner must demonstrate almost 100% of their knowledge all of

the time.
 3. Highlighting problem areas

– Continuous Assessment allows both the learner and their tutor to understand where

they need to improve at an earlier stage. Any particular ‘problem areas’ can be addressed

at a much earlier stage of the learning process.

4. Builds on existing knowledge

– Because students learn as they progress through the course, they can build on

knowledge they already have or have acquired during their course.

5. High levels of retention – It can be easy to forget what you have learned if you do

not use it often or only need to learn it for an exam. With Continuous Assessment,

the learner is encouraged to use their knowledge on a more frequent basis.

6. Enhances Student Learning

You will find you are able to catalyze “deeper” thinking and understanding as students

reflect on their own investigative processes and experiences. Reviewing a portion of a

videotape of class discussion is one example. After watching a video clip of an initial

scientist meeting at the beginning of a unit on motion, one student was able to describe a

change in his conceptual understanding. He described what he originally thought would

happen when his group rolled balls of various sizes and weights on linoleum and carpeted

floors. Because the more massive balls rolled farther on the linoleum floor, he thought

that the more massive balls would also roll farther on the rug. What he actually found out

is that in some cases the less massive balls rolled farther than the more massive balls.

After talking with the students in his group, other students, and the teacher, and

continuing to experiment further, he determined that the rug provided a certain amount of
interference for objects of different masses. He compared what he thought at the

beginning of the unit to what he now understood about mass and friction, and the data he

collected showing how the resistance of the rug affected the results of the trials on both

surfaces. During the process, he was beginning to think that the angle of the “ramp”

might also have something to do with his results.

7. Enables Teachers’ Professional Growth

By striving to better understand and guide students’ thinking and learning, you can

become more reflective about your own practices and refine your teaching strategies. As

a result of looking closely and sharing experiences with colleagues, you can develop new

perspectives about how teaching, assessment, and learning interact and consider

adjustments you might make in your teaching. One teacher reported,

8. Provides Information to Report Students’

Progress While the main purpose of using continuous assessment techniques is to inform

decision making and professional practice, there is a strong summative component to this

formative process. Over time the documentation of the evolution of students’

understandings, skills, and science dispositions can be accumulated and can provide a

wealth of data for reporting student progress and development for occasions such as

report cards, science nights, and parent conferences.

9. To ensure that children are helped or assisted to learn.

10. To prepare a teacher for discussion with parents, other teachers and community

members.
Conclusion
References

Awodeyi, A. F. & Iyang, N.E.U. (2002). A pilot study of opinion of undergraduate on the

implementation of continuous assessment in the University: Journal of Education Uyo.

(20)1.

Ekpo, S. (2005). Continuous assessment records the implementation of the 6- 3-3-4-

System of education in Nigeria, International Journal of research in educational,

Development. Universal consortia, 6 (1),1 7- 12.

Ekwuonye, C.C. (1987). Identification of competence for continuous assessment and the

ones posed by J.S.S. Teachers in Aba Zone. Unpublished M.Ed. Thesis University of

Nigeria, Nsukka.

Eme, F. (1985). Attitude of teachers towards the continuous assessment: Assessment of

pupils in Aba Urban.

Ohuche, R. O. (1988). Evaluation through assessment and projects. Unpublished Article.

Department of Education University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Yoloye, E. A. (1984). Continuous assessment: A simple guide for teachers, London:

Cassell Ltd.
INTRODUCTION

In today s policy environment, testing has become a critical component of education

reform. Policy makers and education administrators often view test scores as a measure

of educational quality and use test scores to hold schools accountable for teacher

performance. Continuous assessment, an alternative or supplement to high stakes testing

of pupil achievement, offers a methodology for measuring pupil performance and using

those findings to improve the success of pupils.

WHAT IS CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT?

Continuous assessment is a classroom strategy implemented by teachers to ascertain the

knowledge, understanding, and skills attained by pupils. Teachers administer assessments

in a variety of ways over time to allow them to observe multiple tasks and to collect

information about what pupils know, understand, and can do. These assessments are

curriculum-based tasks previously taught in class. Continuous assessment occurs

frequently during the school year and is part of regular teacher-pupil interactions. Pupils

receive feedback from teachers based on their performance that allows them to focus on

topics they have not yet mastered. Teachers learn which students need review and

remediation and which pupils are ready to move on to more complex work. Thus, the

results of the assessments help to ensure that all pupils make learning progress

throughout the school cycle thereby increasing their academic achievement

Assessment is also a powerful diagnostic tool that enables pupils to understand the areas

in which they are having difficulty and to concentrate their efforts in those areas.

Continuous assessment also allows teachers to monitor the impact of their lessons on

pupil understanding. Teachers can modify their pedagogical strategies to include the

construction of remediation activities for pupils who are not working at the expected

grade level and the creation of enrichment activities for pupils who are working at or

above the expected grade level. Hence, the continuous assessment process supports a

cycle of self-evaluation and pupil-specific activities by both pupils and teachers. Frequent

interaction between pupils and teachers means that teachers know the strengths and

weaknesses of their learners. These exchanges foster a pupil-teacher relationship based

on individual interactions.

Pupils learn that the teacher values their achievements and that their assessment outcomes

have an impact on the instruction that they receive. One-to-one communication between

the teacher and the pupil can motivate pupils to continue attending school and to work

hard to achieve higher levels of mastery. In continuous assessment, teachers assess the
curriculum as implemented in the classroom. It also allows teachers to evaluate the

effectiveness of their teaching strategies relative to the curriculum, and to change those

strategies as dictated by the needs of their pupils. In addition, continuous assessments

provide information on achievement of particular levels of skills, understanding, and

knowledge rather than achievement of certain marks or scores. Thus, continuous

assessment enables pupils to monitor their achievement of grade level goals and to

visualize their progress towards those goals before it is too late to achieve them

(Educational quality review, December, 5, 2003). The issues of grading and reporting on

student learning have perplexed educators for the better part of the century Guskey

(1994). In recent years, assessment of student learning has become a topic of great

emphasis in the educational literature. Many previously unfamiliar terms, such as

practical assessment, authentic assessment, alternative assessment, portfolios, and

journaling have become a part of the established vocabulary in educational publications.

The implication of the newly emerged emphasis on alternative methods of assessment

also has a significant effect on what is taught and how it is taught. According to Rakow

(1992), curriculum as used in the schools is driven by assessment. Mitchell (1992)

addressed the distinction between assessment and testing. Assessment is an activity that

can take many forms, can extend over time, and aims to capture the quality of a student's

work. A test is a single-occasion, one-dimensional, timed exercise, usually in a multiple-

choice or short-answer form. The influence of testing on student performance has been a

subject of research for many years. Recently, the possible negative effects of traditional

testing have caused the development of new alternative methods of assessment, and
traditional assessment has been pushed aside. However, traditional tests do have

advantages over other forms of assessment. They are less time consuming than most

other forms of assessment, even when they include higher level thinking items. It is also

relatively easy to validate and determine internal consistency for traditional multiple

choice tests. Past studies, including Gaynor & Millham (1976), found that students who

took weekly quizzes earned higher scores on final examinations than did those who took

only midterm exams. Other studies indicate that higher scores by students who are

frequently tested may be attributed to the students' test wise ness and teachers who "teach

to the test"

Nungester & Duchastel, (1982). Although alternative forms of assessment are currently

popular, traditional assessment (quizzes and tests) should not necessarily be eliminated

by other types of assessment. "Traditional tests are valid for testing students' factual

knowledge" Brown & Shavelson, (1994). Most tests use an objective format, such as

multiple-choice questions. Multiple-choice tests have some advantages, including a

"lower probability of correct guesses than ordinary true-false tests do; they can be used to

measure many levels of learning; they allow for extensive sampling of material, and they

are easy to administer and grade" Johnson, (1989,). Although there may be exceptions in

subject areas that students find especially difficult, today's students are accustomed to

taking tests and have essentially become good test takers. "Students of today have

become very test-wise, so it is imperative that questions be written in a manner that does

not give away the correct answers" (Johnson, 1989). Since students who are accustomed
to taking tests have become good test takers, test scores can go up without a

commensurate gain in achievement Shepard (1989).

Purposes of Continuous Assessment in the School System Assessment generally is done

for a number of purposes. Assessment gives a clue to how much knowledge a learner has

acquired. The assessment reveals the learners’ area of weakness and strength. Murihead

(1997) in his opinion noted that students are assessed with a view of finding out the

extent of their knowledge, understanding and skills they have learn. Secondly, the

knowledge of the students’ weakness and strengths serve as a feedback to the teacher on

where extra work needs to be done and where there has been mispresentation, which

needs to be corrected. Obinayu 91997) calls assessment a discovering point, which needs

hammering, and repetition. Grant (1978) is of the opinion that after examination those

who have mastered thee required skills should be shown the next stage, while those who

made many mistakes can be taught again. Any common mistake should be included in

another test. Questions which were poorly done in the previous test should be repeated,

but differently. Yoloye (1988:50) indentified the following purpose of continuous

assessment.

1. To obtain a truer picture of the child’s ability than would be obtained from a

single assessment.

2. To provide a continuous record of the student’s physical, social and personal

qualities.
3. To serve as a monitoring device giving feedback to the students about the

effectiveness of his or her learning.

4. To encourage teachers to implement the designed instruction objectives.

5. To diagnose the strength and weakness of the individual children and to apply

corrective actions when lack of progress is observed.

6. To help the teacher guidance counselor to give academics and psychological

guidance to students as necessary. Capper (1996:20) stated the rationale for a

functional assessment as follows:

7. To find out if children are learning.

8. To determine if there is need to change method of learning.

9. To find out if children are having problems in learning.

10. To find out if teaching is helpful.

CONCLUSION

continuous assessment is not being practiced within the school system. What teachers do

is continuous testing of students in the cognitive which is not continuous assessment. The

task of implementation of continuous assessment is weighing the teachers down because

of the large class size of Nigerian schools.

Falayo, W. (1986). Philosophy and theory of continuous assessment: A paper presented

at a Workshop for Inspectors of Education in Edo State Nigeria.

Federal Ministry of education Science and Technology (1985). Handbook on Continuous

Assessment. Ibadan: Heinemann Education Books Nigeria Ltd.

Ohuche, R. O. (1988). Evaluation through assessment and projects. Unpublished Article.

Department of Education University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Yoloye, E. A. (1984). Continuous assessment: A simple guide for teachers, London:

Cassell Ltd.

Kanno, T.N. (1985). Appraising the use of continuous assessment among primary school

Teachers. Paper presented at the International Conference on Problems and Prospects of

Primary Education in Nigeria and other developing Countries U.N.N.

Mkpa, M.A. (1985). A study of the continuous assessment programme of evaluation in

primary schools. A paper presented at the International Conference of Primary Education,

held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.