CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Assessment can be defined as the process of gathering data and fashioning them into interpretable form for decision making. It involves collecting data with a view of making value judgments about the quality of a person, object, group or event (Ajuonuma, 2006). Assessment plays a significant role in the educational development of a person, and of course, a nation. It is a means of quality control, of determining the level of accountability displayed by Stakeholders in the industry and also of determining the effectiveness of teaching and learning as well as in finding out students’ achievement. It is a vital tool for educational evaluation, thus its importance as a quality assurance tool cannot be overemphasized.
The concept of assessment in the Nigeria context became officially operative since 1985 consequent upon the production of a manual for its implementation as a result of the implementation of the Nigerian National Policy on Educationwhich was introduced in 1977. Continuous assessment was therefore introduced alongside the 6-3-3-4 system of education in Nigeria. Continuous assessment, according to Federal ministry of Education, Science and Technology (FMEST,1985) is defined as a mechanism whereby the final grading of a student in cognitive, affective and psycho-motor domains of behavior takes into account in a systematic way, all his performances during a given period of schooling, such an assessment involves the use of variety of modes of evaluation for the purposes of guiding and improving learning and performance of the student. These modes of evaluation according to Ajuonuma (2007) are considered adequate for assessment of students’ learning because it is comprehensive, cumulative, systematic, guidance and diagnostic oriented.
The goal of continuous assessment in the opinion of Awotua-Efebo (1999) include the enhancement of assessment as an indicator of Students’ achievement, the integration of curriculum and the focus of assessment on the potentials of each student rather than on a discriminatory summative evaluation. Continuous assessment uses a variety of techniques for assessing the students because it considers all three domains of learning, namely cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
