Lesiones musculoesqueléticas

1. national Assessment Policy Framework

A national assessment policy framework is a document that provides overall policies, guidelines, and procedures for developing, administering, and managing an assessment system from the central or national level to the classroom level. This document is generally aligned with the national education policy and the national curriculum policy framework, and implemented interrelatedly and in parallel with each other.

A national assessment policy framework is an official document that states and discusses what an assessment system intends to achieve and what the assessment tools aim to measure (Australian Council for Education Research 2015). The policy framework provides stability or, where change is desired, it can be made explicit and implemented deliberately. Furthermore, it lays the principles upon which any assessment activity in the country is built. It serves several purposes and audiences such as the following:

• It provides a common language to various stakeholders for discussion of the areas of assessment.

• It directs assessment development, guaranteeing that each assessment tool serves the intended purposes and covers the spectrum of learning objectives and standards set.

• Where continuity from one year or one grade level to another is a concern, it realizes an articulated plan for the assessment.

While country examination and assessment systems are in place and currently implemented in the South Asian countries included in this review, there are no documented, existing, officially mandated assessment policy frameworks. Hence, the primary and fundamental governing policies used to operationalize examination and assessment systems are the National Education Policy 2010, Education Act and Regulations, and National Curriculum Framework for Bangladesh; the School Education Policy as well as the School Sector Reform Plan, 2009–2015 for Nepal; and the National Education Policy Framework and the proposed act for the general education sector for Sri Lanka. It is noteworthy that, in Sri Lanka, one of the objectives of the Education Sector Development Program, 2013–2019 is to formulate a national school assessment policy framework.4 _{Hence, among the countries under review, Sri Lanka may be the first country}

to come out with a national assessment policy framework. Moreover, Bangladesh aspires to adopt a system-wide approach in the development of its education sector, and has also listed developing a national assessment system as one of its key performance indicators. While all these countries have been implementing both public and national assessments, they still do not have approved student assessment policy frameworks. All their assessment activities are fundamentally governed by their national education policies, government directives, or education acts. Their public and national assessment activities are also implemented in accordance and aligned with their curriculum policy documents. Evidently, their curriculum and assessment systems are invariably interrelated and interdependent from primary to secondary as well as in higher education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

An example of a country with a well-defined assessment system and educational objectives is Finland, which uses formative, summative, and evaluative assessments. Finland has received international recognition because of its students’ excellent performance on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In Finland, national, standardized high-stakes tests are not given to students until they matriculate secondary school and then only if they intend to enter higher education. As a replacement for high-stakes tests, the Finnish National Board of Education (2010) clearly defined and implemented the purpose of assessment, which is to improve learning, which is “encouraging and supportive by nature.” It is imperative for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to learn from the experience of Finland, where high-stakes public examinations and testing are minimal, and to revisit the objectives and goals of their assessment practices and consider whether to continue administering high-stakes public examinations.

2. the Curriculum and the Assessment System

In the three countries, curriculum and assessment are invariably interrelated and interdependent in all levels of education.5

4 _{The Education Sector Development Program, 2013–2019 is jointly funded by the Government of Sri Lanka and}

ADB, and implemented by the National Education Commission.

5 _{Curriculum generally refers to a prescribed course of study. It includes a defined set of learning objectives to be}

achieved through the course of schooling. Assessment is regarded as a primary component of the curriculum, and the curriculum provides the basis for assessment.

Public examinations and national Assessments in South Asia

11

Generally, these countries’ assessment systems are anchored on the national curriculum framework. The tables of specifications of major national and public examinations reflect the major content and skills defined and articulated in the curriculum.

In each country, under the Ministry of Education (MOE), a separate agency is responsible for curriculum development: in Bangladesh, it is the National Curriculum and Textbook Board; in Nepal, the Curriculum Development Center (CDC); and in Sri Lanka, the

National Institute of Education. These agencies or units are responsible for formulating the national curriculum from primary to higher secondary education. For higher education, the University Grants Commission of each country is responsible for curriculum development and implementation, except for some cases in Bangladesh, where higher education curriculum is approved by the National University.

The assessment system, on the other hand, is governed by a separate but complementary group of agencies that are also under the MOE, except in cases where independent examination boards are identified, such as the Higher Secondary Education Board for Nepal. Figure 1 presents the relationship between curriculum and assessment in Bangladesh, emphasizing that assessment and curriculum development are a continuous process, and that the assessment results provide new direction for the revision of the curriculum.

TLM = teaching learming material. Source: Appendix 1.

Diagram showing the relationship between curriculum and assessment

Development of

Curricular Frame work Developmentof TLM

Assessment of Learning Curriculum Development Teaching Learning Process

Assessment for Learning including Ongoing Assessment Social Needs Assessment Assessment of Curriculum Research for Curricular Discrepancies and Possibilities Curricular Process

Figure 1: interrelationship between Curriculum and Assessment— the Case of Bangladesh

Again, while curricula are in place, these countries could learn from the Finnish education system, where the national curriculum provides clear guidance for assessing and evaluating students in early grades and throughout basic education. For the curriculum to be adhered to, these countries, just like Finland, must consider dividing classroom assessment into two categories—assessment during the course and final assessment (Henrichson 2012). The two periodic assessments are clearly defined and aligned with the national criteria. However, both assessments aim to achieve different goals and purposes. Furthermore, in Finland, the specific criteria for classroom assessment during the course are clearly defined in the national curriculum, but the teachers are empowered on how to conduct assessment during the course (such as SBA or continuous assessment system [CAS]) and the schoolwork along the national assessment criteria.