Brief Narrative Report on Training of

Teachers on Assessment Design, Choices,

Data Analysis, Interpretation and Use in The
Gambia

February 2016

The Gambia Teachers Union Gambia College

Funded by UNESCO

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 A. INTRODUCTION:

Promoting the provision of quality relevant education for all learners, coupled
with the need for competent quality teachers in delivering wholesome
education for social progress and economic growth is critical.

The challenges faced by the Education Sector particularly as regards improving

the quality of learner outcomes continue to raise pertinent questions for both
the school systems and the Ministry. Similarly, the school system continues to
grapple with the problems of increasing student and societal expectations,
while the Sector struggles in providing the most ideal school environment that
fosters innovation that matches the requirements of the school sector.

Despite the fact that good progress has been and continues to be made in
expanding access to education across all levels of the schooling system,
particularly in basic and secondary education, the quality and relevance of
education has increasingly become a matter of concern. The unprecedented
decision by the Ministry in shifting emphasis from Assessment of Learning to
Assessment for Learning is a major breakthrough and characterizes bold
thinking on the part of Management.

This training programme on assessment is one such suitable interventions

geared towards supporting teachers, Head teachers/principals and tainee
teachers to gather and share information concerning the nature of the
educational behaviours (knowledge, skills and values) that have been taught,
the extent to which these have been learned by the student, and the contexts
in which students demonstrate these behaviours with either competence or
difficulty. In doing so, over three hundred teachers, school principals and
trainee teachers were sensitised and trained on the importance of assessment,
assessment data analysis, interpretation and use. This was necessitated by the
fact that we need to enhance awareness about creating a quality education
system and build well structured quality assessment frameworks to make a
range of decisions about how to analyse, interpret and use assessment data to
improve quality learning. The training will accord participants to appreciate the
shift in policy from assessment of leaning and thereby shift emphasis to

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 approaches that have high predictive value, fairness and ability to address our
national problems as they relate to assessment matters.

In view of the above ground realities the GTU, EFANet and the Gambia College
with funding from UNESCO and with collaboration with MoBSE, committed
themselves to supporting the national education development agenda and
thereby created a lifelong learning opportunity for a more effective internal
quality management processes through team work and the involvement of
teachers, trainee teaches and school principals.

B. SENSITIZATION

Over two hundred teachers, trainee teachers and principals attended the
three-day sensitisation. The exercise was preceded by a formal opening
ceremony under the auspices of the Regional Education Director, Region One.
Statements were made by GTU, the Ministry of Basic Gambia College officials.

The highlight programme was the presentations and group engagements.

Series of recommendations were made by the participants and they
committed themselves to certain pronouncements through the agreed draft
messages.

Some of the areas the resource persons harped on included:

Forms of assessment.
Assessment for learning.
Emphasis on SDG4.
Quality of education.
Assessment in relations to Education Policy 2016.
Mode of Assessment

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 C. TRAINING

i. Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was chaired by the Registrar of the College Mr. Demba
Yarbo. The Principal, Mr. Abubacarr Jallow, Madam Isatou Ndow Vice Principal
and Head, School of Education, Mr. Ousman Senghore Head of Assessment
Unit at MoBSE and Mr. Essa Sowe, Deputy General Secretary of the Gambia
Teachers Union (GTU) all made remarks.

Mr. Yarbo emphasised the importance of the training workshop and urged the
participants to take them seriously so that they can share with other teachers
in their various schools. He also lamented on the timely organisation of the
training and thanked UNESCO, MoBSE and the Gambia Teachers Union for
organizing such a well needed training. He went further to mentioned that
Assessment is among the key tools of measuring performances and by
measuring performance it will be easier to track progress of every activity and
thus ensuring efficiency of teaching and learning. He concluded by challenging
the participants to be vigilant and to make the best used of the training.

Mr. Essa Sowe the Deputy General Secretary (DGS) Gambia Teachers Union
dilated on the role of the partners and their values in the provision of quality
relevant education for all learners. The DGS further buttressed on several
objectives in order to meet the purpose of the programme. He finally shed
some light on the importance of the training and hailed the collaboration of
the partners.

On his side, Mr. Ousman Senghore Head, Assessment Unit at MoBSE who also
doubles up a Principal Progamme Officer UNESCO/NATCOM also elaborated on
the importance of the training. He shared the training schedule with the
participants and finally thanked the stake holders for their efforts for the
anticipated success.

Mr. Abubacarr Jallow made mentioned of some forms of assessments as;

summative and formative and shared the importance of each. He revealed that
a well managed assessment could change the mindset of learners towards
assessment. According to Mr. Jallow, this training will challenge the
participants ways of conducting their assessments and minimised the

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 misconception about assessment. He also delivered on the context of the
training and the modules involved.

The Principal also challenged the participants to be committed and urged them
to make efforts to relate the training to teaching and learning methods as the
Assessment is meant to measure knowledge. He also shared some words of
wisdom. He said one of his professors assertion that Attitude, Skills and
Knowledge (ASK) matte a lot in ensuring quality learning.

The Vice Principal of the Gambia College, Madam Isatou Ndow thanked the
GTU, MoBSE and UNESCO for their efforts in seeing that the training was a
success.

ii. MODULE 1: ASSESSMENT DESIGN AND CHOICE

This module emphasised the important role a properly designed and better
choice of assessment in the teaching/learning process ca yield. It helped to
reinforce teachers understanding of student learning and provision of
feedback information to the teacher on the extent to which his/her teaching
contributed to student learning achievement.

Furthermore, the skills acquired is expected to teachers recognise assessment

as an aspect of teaching process and not just as a way of getting students show
how much they have learned. The purpose of this module is to assist teachers
to appreciate the importance of making appropriate choice and careful design
of assessment.

Basically, it was meant to help teachers develop skills that will enable them to:

Choose the right assessment format (type, method, tools, items)

Contribute to the overall learning achievement of the students through
assessment.
improve their teaching method

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 iii. MODULES 2 & 3: ASSESSMENT DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND
USE

The training was centred on addressing Teachers, students, parents and

stakeholders need to gather and share information concerning the nature of
the educational behaviours (knowledge, skills and values) that have been
taught, the extent to which these have been learned by the students, and the
contexts in which students demonstrate these behaviours with either
competence or difficulty.

The acquired was geared towards helping:

teachers get improved data for decision making through descriptive

statistics and understanding of the subject matter
schools and administrators to deliver valuable real-time information
throughout the teaching and learning period, providing the
opportunity to adjust course material, intervene with at-risk
students, and better prepare students to succeed at exams.

Skills acquired will also help teachers and school heads acquire skills on data
Analysis that will enable them to systematically apply statistical and/or logical
techniques to describe and illustrate, condense and recap, and evaluate data.
The training module is hoped to create clearer agenda for teachers that can
effectively address students learning strengths and weaknesses in situations
where teachers and parents both understand, and agree to the nature of the
students educational needs.

Aspects of the training also looked at the classroom level, where the teacher
will be interested in the pattern of performance as shown by the profiles of
individual student and class performance across themes and sub-thematic
areas.

Finally, the training was very interactive and opinion of participants were
teased out to gauge their understandings coupled with assignments which
were meant to ensure a more practical application and use of the training
materials

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 THE FUNCTIONS OF ASSESSMENT IN EDUCATION

Assessment plays a very important role in education. Indeed, there can be no meaningful
and effective teaching without assessment. The role of assessment in education can be
broadly categorized into five themes:

(1) INSTRUCTIONAL FUNCTIONS;

(2) ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS;
(3) GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING FUNCTIONS;
(4) RESEARCH FUNCTIONS;
(5) ACCOUNTABILITY FUNCTIONS

(1) INSTRUCTIONAL FUNCTIONS

These relate to the ways in which assessment helps to improve the effectiveness of
teaching and learning. In other words, these have to do with how assessment aids learning
at the classroom level. In this respect, assessment serves the following specific functions:

(a) Determining the Entry Characteristic of Students

Effective instruction should be based on what the child already knows. This can only be
determined through the use of assessment data.

(b) Ascertaining the extent to which Instructional Objectives have been Achieved
The essence of any instructional package is to accomplish some predetermined
objectives. The success or failure of such a package is determined by the extent to
which the objectives have been attained. This can be only be verified through the
information obtained from assessment.

(c) Setting Realistic Objectives

In setting instructional objectives, it is necessary to set those objectives that a group of
students can achieve. If the objectives are unrealistic i.e. unattainable, frustration and

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 resignation may set in. Data on assessment, particularly the student characteristics,
will indicate what objectives are within the reach of students.

(d) Feedback on the Efficiency of the Teachers Methods and Materials.

Assessment provides feedback which helps the teacher to determine the effectiveness
of his methods and materials. The performance of the student taught with a particular
method or set of materials will indicate the efficiency or otherwise of such a method or
set of materials.

(e) Increasing Students Motivation to Learn

Feedback from assessment increases the students motivation to learn. The knowledge
of ones performance is likely to make one perform better in subsequent tests. For
example, if a student performs well in a test or examination, he will be encouraged to
make effort to maintain such a performance. If on the other hand, his performance is
poor, he would in future try to improve on his poor performance.

(f) Development of Good Study Habits

Assessment helps students to develop good study habits. When a student knows that
his performance will be periodically assessed, he evolves effective ways of studying.
These may include proper allocation of his study time to his subjects, constant review
of what he has been taught, group discussion etc. These are all student habits which
assessment helps to inculcate in students.

(g) Identification of Students Strengths and Weakness

Through assessment, the students area of strength and weakness are identified. Such
information will help the teachers, students and even their parents to look for ways of
overcoming or remediating the identified weakness.

(2) ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS

These relate to the ways in which assessment helps the school administrator in taking
decisions about activities that affect the entire school system. Such functions include

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 (a) Selection:
This implies accepting or rejecting a particular candidate for a given opportunity. The
need for selection may arise when:

(i) There are limited opportunities in relation to the number of candidates

(ii) A particular undertaking, job or task requires candidates with special skills. In any
of these cases, assessment provides the entry objective basis for selecting the right
candidates.

(b) Classification
This implies deciding which programme is best suitable for a given student. We are
involved in classification when we decide on who should enroll in Commercial,
Technical or Science subjects, or whether a particulate student should be in a normal
class or a special class. Decisions such as these demand data on the individuals ability,
performance and interest. This can only be provided through assessment.

(c) Placement
Assessment also helps as to decide on the appropriate level in a programme an
individual should be placed. Examples of placement include urging a student to go
back to a lower level, to remain in the same class or to go to a higher class.

(d) Curriculum Planning

Through assessment we obtain data on the adequacy or otherwise of the curriculum.
Assessment forms the basis for necessary modification or improvements of the
curriculum.

(e) Certification
After completing a particular educational programme, there should be evidence of
what each individual was able to acquire in terms of knowledge, attitude and skills
from the programme. This is important particularly for employment purposes. The
evidence needed for certification at any level is provided through assessment.

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 (3) GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING FUNCTIONS
Through assessment we obtain empirical data to strategically direct our guidance and
counselling services. Thus assessment data is used.

(a) To assist students in achieving proper academic development

Assessment reveals an individuals area of strength and weakness. Such diagnostic
information serves as a basis for providing academic guidance for the individual. For
instances, on the basis of such information, a remedial programme could be planned
to help the individual overcome his weaknesses. Furthermore, the individual could be
guided as to what subjects to offer, which ones to lay greater emphasis on etc.

(b) Towards making proper vocational decisions

Students needs to be properly guided in making vocational decisions. The necessary
data for guidance such as vocational interests, academic ability, aptitude etc. are
provided by assessment

(c) Towards proper socio-personal development students as well as other individuals

need to be assisted to overcome their socio-personal problems. To offer such
assistance, counsellors require a good deal of information about such individual. This
can be provided through assessment.

(4) RESEARCH FUNCTIONS

The contents, methods, aims and outcomes of education require constant research.
Educators conduct series of research activities relating to the introduction of new
curriculum, the effectiveness of given programs and the reasons behind effective
learning or otherwise. Assessment data plays key function in educational research.

(5) ACCOUNTABILITY FUNCTIONS

The demand for educational accountability in USA came from several sources including
the
President, Governors and the overburdened taxpayers.

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 In his message to Congress on Educational Reform (March, 1970), President Richard
Nixon stressed the need for accountability by local school systems. He said

From these considerations we derive another new concept: accountability. School

teachers alike are responsible for their performance, and it is in their interest as well
as in the interests of their children that they be held accountable. Success should not
be measured by a fixed national norm but rather by results achieved in relation to the
actual situation of the school and the particular set of pupils (Lessinger and Tyler,
1971).

The term accountability when used in connection to a school programme, essentially

means that those who are given responsibility for the operation of the school (school
boards, administrators, and teachers) should be held accountable (answerable) for the
learning and development of students. This includes accepting blame for the failure as well
as credit for the successes. It may also include explaining why the failures occurred and
what is being done to correct the situation.

A simple definition is that accountability represents acceptance of responsibility for

consequences by those to whom citizens have entrusted the public service of education. If
educators are to be held accountable for student performance, the desired performances
must be clearly stated and specified in advance and the performance must be adequately
measured. Such measurement is attained through the use of assessment.

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