SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT AT A GLANCE

BACKGROUND

WHAT IS SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT ?

WHY SBAs?

HOW ARE SBAs DONE?

FORMATS OF SBAs

FUNCTIONS OF SBAs

ADVANTAGES OF SBA

ROLE OF THE TEACHER

ROLE OF PARENTS

SBA BEST PRACTICE

Background

The Caribbean Examinations Council

(CXC) has been offering examinations to

the English-speaking Caribbean countries

for over 35 years. From the inception,

most of CXC’s subjects, and later, all of

its examinations include a School Based

Assessment (SBA) component. The SBA

has generally been accepted as an excel-

lent form of assessment and many other

international examinations boards have

since followed CXC and introduced SBAs.

What is School Based Assessment?

The SBA is a set of assessment tasks/

assignments/projects conducted in the

school; these are carried out by the stu-

dent following guidelines provided by CXC

and assessed by the teacher using criteria

provided by CXC. The SBA contributes to

the candidate's learning and is a critical

element in teaching and learning.

Why SBAs?

The SBA is an integral part of CXC’s as-

sessment process. It is intended to assist

students in acquiring certain knowledge,

skills, and attitudes that are associated

with the subject. The activities for the

SBA are linked to the syllabus and form

part of the learning activities to enable

the student to achieve the objectives of

the syllabus.

How are SBAs done?

School Based Assessment forms part of what is referred to as continuous

or formative assessment. The SBA is not a one-shot assessment; it is an

iterative process in which the student benefits from constructive feedback

from the teacher.

The task/project used for the SBA is something that is relevant to the stu-

dent’s experience and reality. Normally, teachers would work with their

students to agree on an appropriate task/project which has some meaning

to the student. The student works on the assignment in stages and re-

ceives quality feedback from the teacher at each stage. Each stage allow

the student an opportunity to add to previous knowledge and to improve

on the previous draft. The final SBA submission should be the student’s

best work.

Formats of SBAs

The SBAs may be presented in a number of formats:

Portfolio Assessment Learning journals

Dramatic presentations Research assignments

Multimedia presentations Community projects

Laboratory activities including investigations Site visit/Field trip

Orals Case Studies

Sporting activities and event planning Designing/Composing

(TVET subjects)

Functions of SBAs

The SBA is regarded as good assessment practice, but what function does

it really serve? The following are some functions of SBA:

provides opportunities for the teacher to gather data on student per-

formance over time.

provides a more reliable assessment of the student by those who

know the students best - their subject teachers

serves to motivate students by engaging them in meaningful activities

that are relevant to them;

reinforces curriculum aims and good teaching practices;

aligns assessment with curriculum and instruction;

provides students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their

competence;

allows students to be active participants in the assessment process;

gives credence and recognition to the teachers’ informed judgments

about students’ performance; and

allows teachers to be critical leaders in the assessment process.

Advantages of the SBA

The SBA

provides an opportunity to individ-

ualise a part of the curriculum to

meet the needs of students;

facilitates feedback to the student

at various stages of the experi-

ence. This helps to build the self-

confidence of students as they

proceed with their studies;

facilitates the development of the

critical skills and abilities empha-

sized by the subject and enhances

the validity of the examination on

which candidate performance is

reported;

makes a significant and unique

contribution to both the develop-

ment of relevant skills and the

testing and rewarding of students

for the development of those

skills;

caters to multiple intelligences as

various teaching and learning

strategies are utilised;

provides students with skills need-

ed to function in everyday life; and

provides multiple opportunities

and multiple ways to develop and

demonstrate knowledge, skills and

attitudes.

Role of the Teacher

Educators generally agree that the teacher is in the best position

to assess the student. Teachers are therefore very critical to the

SBA process and have some key roles to play. Apart from guiding

students with appropriate topic selection and developing detailed

criteria for assessing the selected tasks, teachers also:

ensure the task selected for the SBA activity is related to given

syllabus objectives. This task should fit into the normal work

being done in the class;

provide quality feedback to the students on their work and

allow them to revise their SBA based on the feedback;

manage the SBA as part and parcel of the teaching and learn-

ing process;

understand what SBA tasks are to be done and how they are

to be done;

give students adequate opportunities to practice similar tasks;

mark practical work according to SBA standards;

be aware of the criteria being used in assessment; and

assess assignments competently.

The significance of teachers’ involvement in SBAs is highlighted in

the comments made by students from some schools in the region

when asked for feedback about their teacher’s involvement with

their SBAs:

“Teachers gave constructive criticism.”

“Teachers paid attention to detail.”

“The teacher kept nudging us towards quality.”

“The teacher kept encouraging us to do well in the practical.”

“The teacher’s passion was contagious.”

Role of Parents

A significant portion of the work done for SBAs is done while the

student is at home, therefore parents play a key role in assisting

their children with researching and organising information.

Parents also provide guidance to students on topic selection, pro-

vide the resources for research at home, supply materials which

may be required, and host group work at their homes.

The important role parents, and in particular mothers play was

highlighted by students in the research on SBA Best Practices con-

ducted in 2008.

“There was encouragement from my mother.”

“I wanted to do well. I was also encouraged by my aunt.”

SBA Best Practice

A 2008 study commissioned by CXC entitled “The SBA Compo-

nent of the Caribbean Examinations Council CSEC Examination:

Examples of Best Practice in the Caribbean Region revealed

that while there are some challenges with SBAs, schools in the

region are achieving excellent results in SBAs.

The report revealed that schools with a positive culture en-

sured that SBA is programmed into the curriculum, so it is not

viewed as something additional in the syllabus.

Comments provided by principals on the links between the cur-

riculum in Spanish and the Spanish SBA, highlighted that in the

schools surveyed “there are positive and obvious attempts to

embed the SBA competencies in the school’s curriculum.”

Additionally, responses from the three departmental heads in

the schools surveyed, emphasized the importance of ensuring

that the SBA is fully integrated in the schools’ Spanish curricu-

lum.”

Based on feedback from teachers, CXC has reduced the num-

ber of SBAs required for particular subjects. This has reduced

the workload on both students and teachers without compro-

mising the quality of the assessment. The focus has been on

developing the particular skill which is not readily testable in

the written paper rather than the quantity of pieces of SBA

work required.

CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL Prince Road,

Pine Plantation Road,

St Michael BB11091

Barbados

www.cxc.org