School-based assessment: the leash needed to keep the poetic ‘unruly pack of hounds’ effectively in the hunt for learning outcomes

School-based Assessment in English Language Teaching: Weighing the cow will not fatten it

“…Common types of issues and problems are experienced with the SBA component of English in high-stakes national examinations in South Africa (Davison, 2007;Reyneke, Meyer & Nel, 2010). The continuous focus on teaching and assessing high level linguistic and critical thinking skills is of particular importance in the study of English.…”

“…Internationally, teachers are concerned about the following practical issues concerning the implementation of SBA: professional development in SBA, the need for appropriate assessment resources, the need for activities and techniques as models, lack of practical support at school level, lack of time to implement and give feedback on assessments, large classes, limited resources, and a heavy workload (Davison, 2007;Qian, 2010, Reyneke,et al, 2010Stanley, et al, 2009). …”

Students’ Perception and Readiness on School-Based Assessment

“…Also, in South Africa, SBA serves as a platform for students preparing for the final external examination. However, the study from Ryeneke, Meyer and Nel (2010) indicated that SBA failed to enhance learning and preparation of students for examination.…”

Concept Map as an Assessment Tool in Secondary School Mathematics: An Analysis of Teachers’ Perspectives.

“…Most South African schools rely on assessment characterised by written tests and high-stakes examinations (Department of Education, 2008). Although the use of concept map as an alternative assessment tool has been recognized, teachers continue to use it as an instructional tool rather than as an assessment device (Reyneke, Meyer & Nel, 2010). The study therefore assesses whether teachers view the use of concept map as an alternative assessment tool that can provide reliable and valid measure of learners' knowledge structure.…”