Appraisal of assessment practices among primary school teachers in Jos North and Jos South local government areas of Plateau State

Abstract

The study appraises assessment practices of the primary school teachers in the areas under study. A survey research design was used to select 18 primary schools for the study. The stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain 250 primary school teachers from the 18 selected schools and for the selection of the teachers from each school respectively. A 20-item APAPST instrument was developed and used for this study. Five research questions were formulated and answered using simple percentages. The findings revealed that the format of the result sheets of the public and private schools were different in content, so also was that of Jos North and Jos South LEA schools. It was also discovered that assessments were poorly carried out; tests and assignments were not according to the prescriptions in the education policy and/or the school plans, or were not given at all in some cases. Cumulative records were lacking in almost all the government schools. The researcher concluded by recommending that; a harmonized procedure should be adopted and monitored in all schools within the study area, teachers should be trained and re-trained on assessment practices, they should be encouraged to attend conferences and seminars on measurement and evaluation and finally, C.A committees should be provided to adequately supervise school assessment to ensure that decisions made about assessment results are valid.