Assessment, Student Learning and Classroom Practice: A Review

Abstract

Assessment in its various forms has always been a central part of educational practice. Evidence gleaned from the empirical literature suggests that assessment, especially high stakes external assessment has effect on how teachers teach and consequently, how students learn. Through focus group discussions, this paper draws upon the experiences of 12 tutors and 18 student-teachers in 3 colleges of education in Ghana. The findings show that although teachers are expected to nurture evaluative thinking skills in their pupils/students this is not reflected in the assessment and teaching and learning practices of student-teachers. This paper argues that for teachers to be effective in promoting the desired goals of the basic school curriculum, greater recognition must be accorded to the influence of assessment on teaching and learning, the understanding of which could arguably play an important role in introducing changes that will promote the cognitive processes and thinking skills desired in our schools and classrooms.