4. Alineamiento Múltiple de Secuencias
5.4. Líneas de trabajo futuro
Curriculum and assessment are invariably interrelated in the Nepalese education system from primary to higher education. Assessment is regarded as a component of curriculum. Curriculum explicitly formulates general and specific objectives. Specific objectives are formulated for each unit. Assessment is designed to measure the level of achievement in a specified content area (subject) in the curriculum. Thus, assessment is curriculum based. The CDC formulates guidelines for the assessment of student achievement up to grade 9 based on the curriculum. The SLC examination, the terminal exam for secondary education, is also anchored on the curriculum and certifies students’ achievement at the end of the secondary level (grade 10 at present). OCE is responsible for SLC exams. The HSEB also follows assessment guidelines provided in its curriculum. The curriculum provides guidelines for the assessment and the table of test specifications (also known as the specification grid) that provides the scope of assessment in terms of content and skills. General guidelines to be followed in the development of the table of test specification by all schools (public and private) cover the following areas:
• weightage for the content area as per the period or hours assigned in the curriculum,
• taxonomy of items or questions based on specific objectives of the content area, and
• format of the items or questions that seem to be appropriate for the content area to be assessed.
In practice, however, development of test items, particularly at the school level, is based on textbook content. Teachers tend to ask questions on what they have taught from the textbook. Such practices have given rise to issues such as the following:
• Textbook content, rather than curriculum, dictates classroom teaching, learning, and assessment.
• If any learning area is not covered in the textbook, there is a higher chance of its being missed in the classroom as well as in the assessment.
• As rote memorization and drill are dominant teaching and learning practices, there are fewer higher-level cognitive items in the test.
• In some cases, the level of skills indicated in the table of specifications are not appropriately classified or identified. For example, some items were classified as measures of higher-order thinking skills, but in reality only measure lower-order thinking skills.
a. School-Based Assessment
In Nepal, SBA is practiced in schools in terms of teacher-made tests, teacher’s
assessment during lesson delivery, teacher’s periodic assessments using various tools to evaluate learning, CAS, etc. Assessment by teachers at the classroom and school levels
is emphasized in the in-service teacher training,6 preservice teacher education at the
university level, and school-level curriculum.7
b. rationale and modes of School-Based Assessment
Because the backwash effect of external formal examination that provides marks and labels students as “pass” or “fail” is still prevalent, there is a need to put more emphasis on formative assessments and SBA. The rationale for SBA can be derived from documents such as the NCF and SSRP as well as curriculum and training materials. Specifically, the following aspects are emphasized: (i) improving student learning, (ii) continuous and comprehensive assessment, (iii) summative assessment for grade promotion, (iv) teacher accountability, and (v) quality control. These aspects are described below.
improving learning of students. The SSRP emphasized that competency standards, as set by the CDC, should form the basis for student assessment and evaluation in each grade and level. No students would be retained in grades 1–7 even if they do not meet the defined requirements and standards. The SSRP stated that students performing below the standard must be given remedial support to reach the minimum standard. On the other hand, the NCF stated that remedial support should be based on the diagnosis of individual student performance or learning difficulties and an instructional plan to promote learning and increase student achievement. The Primary Education Curriculum, Grades 1–38 is more
specific in linking assessment for improving student learning:
• Students’ learning level will be determined through a formative evaluation system at the primary level. The main aim of formative evaluation is to improve students’ learning level. From this, teachers would be able to provide more learning
opportunities based on a student’s learning achievements.
• Student portfolios will be maintained from grade 1 to grade 3. The portfolio will be updated according to the student’s classwork, project work, behavioral change, attendance, etc. Schools should inform parents about the subject matter taught and students’ progress, which will also be recorded in the portfolios. Classwork will be emphasized rather than homework at this level.
• The main aim of CAS is to decide whether to promote students in a school year by observing changes in their performance. Students with excessive absences or those lagging in terms of learning achievements can be promoted as per the decision of the teacher, parents, and head teacher on the condition that they will be provided with more remedial learning opportunities.
• Students will be graded from A to C based on their progress in grades 1–3. • Appropriate evaluation systems will be used for all students, including those with
special needs.
6 National Centre for Educational Development. 2000. Instructional Process and Evaluation Training Manual.
Sanothimi; National Centre for Educational Development. 2000. Primary Teacher Training Curriculum—A Basic Training Curriculum for Primary School Teachers. Sanothimi; National Centre for Educational Development. 2000. Primary Teacher Training Curriculum—Pre-service. Sanothimi; National Centre for Educational Development. 2005. Professional Studies—Second Phase Primary Teacher Training. Sanothimi; National Centre for Educational Development. 2010. Comprehensive Research on Contribution of Teacher Training to Primary Education Development in Nepal. Final Report. Sanothimi.
7 Curriculum Development Center. 2005. Primary Education Curriculum—Grades 1–3. Sanothimi; Curriculum
Development Center. 2007b. Secondary Education Curriculum, Volume 1 (Compulsory Subjects). Sanothimi; Curriculum Development Center. 2012. Basic Education Curriculum—Grades 6–8, 2010. Sanothimi.
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• Quality (standards) of education will be measured by evaluating students’ achievement based on the level-wise objectives after 5 years of implementation of this curriculum.
Among the above guidelines, CAS, portfolios, and grading have been implemented in grades 1–3 by the CDC. Curriculum-based student achievement has been started for grades 3, 5, and 8 by the Education Review Office (ERO). Using assessment results to improve student learning, proper maintenance of student portfolios, and adoption of an appropriate evaluation system to capture varied learning needs are still to be brought into wider practice.
The NCF and SSRP have also emphasized information and communication technology (ICT) for the improvement of teaching and learning. The MOE has developed the ICT in Education Master Plan 2013–2017.9 The master plan envisions extensive use of ICT for
providing quality education for all. There are four components in the ICT in Education Master Plan: (i) development of infrastructure, including connectivity; (ii) development of human resources; (iii) development of digital learning materials; and (iv) enhancement of the education system. The master plan has given emphasis to public–private partnerships for strengthening infrastructure development and training. ICT is one of the pedagogical and assessment areas to be strengthened to improve the quality of Nepalese education.
Continuous and comprehensive assessment. The CDC has been implementing CAS at grades 1–3. However, a passing mark has not been determined for grades 1–3 and student learning achievement is recorded through continuous assessment by teachers at the school level. As discussed earlier, the NCF and SSRP provisioned a liberal promotion policy, which is to be gradually implemented from grade 1 to grade 7 while ensuring that students meet the minimum learning competencies through remedial support when necessary.
The NCF has made provisions for internal and external assessments. Internal assessment is meant to be conducted by the school or subject teacher whereas external assessment is by board or examination committee outside the school. Weightage suggested by the NCF for internal and external assessments is shown in Table A2.1.
table A2.1: nepal—Weightage for internal and external Assessments
Level Grades internal (%) external (%)
Primary 1–5 60 40
Lower secondary 6–8 40 60
Secondary 9–10 25 75
Higher secondary 11–12 20 80
Source: Curriculum Development Center. 2007. National Curriculum Framework for School Education in Nepal. Kathmandu.
9 Ministry of Education. 2013. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education Master Plan
Table A2.1 presents the NCF-suggested weightage for internal evaluation of 60% for grades 1–5, 40% for grades 6–8, 25% for grades 9–10, and 20% for grades 11–12. The suggested passing mark of 40% is for both internal and external examinations at all levels and grades. Based on this suggestion of the NCF, the CDC has made a provision of 50% weightage for the annual examination and 50% for CAS at grades 4 and 5.10 Grades
4 and 5 students are required to pass with at least 40% mark in a written examination. If a student has performed at a satisfactory level in the CAS but has failed in a summative evaluation, the parents, the subject or grade teacher, and the head teacher will decide together whether or not to promote the student.
Summative assessment for grade promotion. Though CAS and liberal promotion are emphasized by the NCF and SSRP, summative evaluation is also given importance by providing for the following:
• Summative evaluation is conducted at the end of each class or school year (SSRP).
• It is ensured that each student achieves at least 50% in each subject (instead of the existing 32%) in order to get promoted to the next grade (SSRP).
• In case of external examinations, the weightage will be 40% for grade 5, 60% for grade 8, 75% for grade 10, and 80% for grade 12; with regard to vocational subjects that demand extensive practical activities, a provision of additional practical tests can be made in addition to the 25% internal assessment (NCF).
teacher accountability. The NCF and SSRP have made subject teachers accountable for the progress of students in each subject. Assessing student learning continuously and providing remedial sessions as required is emphasized. This is not found to have been practiced in most of the classrooms yet.
Quality control. There are provisions for CAS and liberal promotion, and their major aim is to improve student learning. The NCF has also suggested provision of a final examination at the resource center level at the end of grade 5, intended to maintain the quality of education by providing suggestions for system improvements.
a. national Standards for School-Based Assessment
The NCF, SSRP, and level-wise curriculum of the CDC provide guidelines for the CAS, portfolio, and liberal promotion practices. The CDC has developed guidelines (2010)11
and a training manual (1999)12 for the implementation of CAS that set uniform national
standards for its use. The guideline is to tick one of the columns in the CAS record form— 3 ticks for very good, 2 ticks for good, and 1 tick for average or moderate—on five indicators (classwork or class participation, project work, change in behavior, creative works, and attendance). Based on the number of tick marks obtained, the student’s achievement level will be determined in a percentage and graded as A, B, or C. The grading procedure in the CAS is clear. The main purpose of CAS or SBA is to find out the student’s strengths and weaknesses, analyze the outcomes, and then make or update an instructional plan. However, this practice is found mostly lacking or weak in Nepal.
10 Curriculum Development Center. 2008. Primary Education Curriculum—Grades 4–5, 2008. Sanothimi. 11 Curriculum Development Center . 2010. Continuous Student Assessment Implementation Manual. Sanothimi. 12 Curriculum Development Center. 1999. Continuous Student Assessment Teacher Training Manual. Sanothimi.
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b. modalities of School-Based Assessment
The modalities for SBA are the CAS, portfolios,13 and liberal promotion14 for up to grade 3.
Teachers are trained to use the CAS in their classes. In grades 4 and 5, both CAS and a written annual examination are used. Students are required to pass the written examination for grade promotion. In other grades, formative assessments are used during educational activities to improve student learning, but it is the year-end test that decides grade promotion of the student.
For the CAS, the NCF suggested assessment tools such as classwork, project work, community work, unit tests, achievement tests, observation, and formative and innovative work such as projects. Moreover, emphasis needs to be given to the CAS to assess the expected learning outcomes, behavioral change, attitudes, competency, skill, and the application of feedback for teaching and learning activities. The curriculum states that student portfolios are to be updated according to the student’s classwork, project work, behavioral change, attendance, etc. However, periodic tests and paper-and-pencil tests are often still being used to determine the level of achievement in the CAS and portfolios. This shows that the concept of CAS and portfolios has not been properly implemented.
c. moderation Practices in School-Based Assessment
The NCF, SSRP, and CDC curriculum emphasize formative assessment in the schools and classrooms. Formative assessment is supposed to provide relevant information for diagnosing students’ learning difficulties and thereby help improve student learning. The CDC developed the School-Based Assessment Support Material in 2006and School- Based Assessment Support Booklet in 2009. However, the guidelines and training do not include information on how to diagnose learning needs and make the required instructional plan. Apart from short-term teacher training on CAS and SBA, periodic sharing, technical backstopping, and intraschool sharing is lacking. Sharing effective practices, challenges and issues, and lessons learned among the teachers would be helpful to improve SBA. This shows a lack of moderation practice in SBA at present in Nepal.
d. integration of results into the national examinations
In the SLC and Higher Secondary Education Certificate examinations, practical marks are given in selected subjects by the subject teachers in the school. These marks are registered in the practical column in the marks sheet of the student. The CDC (2012) has developed a report card format in which scores for periodic assessment and the CAS are reported in separate forms for the students. Otherwise, SBAs and terminal examinations at grades 5 and 8 are not integrated into the SLC or higher secondary examinations.