Continuous Assessment In Schools: Teachers Bitter Pill To Swallow

Abstract

This paper articulates debates surrounding the concept of Continuous Assessment (CA) in South African schools. Although the research was focused on schools in this democratic country, it became evident from the findings that assessment is still a challenge besetting both General Education and Training (GET)and Further Education and Training Bands (FET) worldwide. One of the fundamental reasons for the previous national disenchantment with regard to summative assessment has been the gross inequities that have resulted from inferences based solely on final examinations. In the post apartheid era, the Department of Education made it compulsory that schools turned to CA that is backed by criterion-referenced standards. CA has been heralded as the solution to a host of education ills, including the apparent gap in performance between students of various political and religious backgrounds.