Lessons Learned from Site Visits to Malawi, Namibia, and Tanzania:

Applying Continuous Assessment Models to the Zambian Context

Chekani T. Sakala, ECZ

Gabriel G.M. Mweemba, ECZ

William M. Kapambwe, ECZ

Davies Chisenga, Standards MOE

Outline

1.0 Site Visits to Malawi, Namibia and Tanzania In the period April to June various activities were

undertaken. Site Visits were undertaken to Tanzania, Malawi and Namibia. The site visits enhanced the implementation capacities for ECZ and MOE officers in that they provided an opportunity to the officers to appreciate various technical aspects involved in implementing a Continuous Assessment programme. The USAID Mission Education staff was briefed on the lessons that were learned from

Background on MOE CA Policy in Zambia

CA in various policy documents (1977, 1992) “Educational Reforms” (1977) “Focus on Learning” (1992)

CA in the “Educating Our Future” policy document (1996) Introduce an outcomes-based curriculum Reform assessment procedures Improve classroom instruction Increase student achievement Integrate results from CA with national examinations

for certification and selection purposes

Justification for Site Visits

Learn from other countries in the sub-region with previous, relevant experience in CA

Collect information on areas of interest: Creating an instructionally-supportive system Developing materials and instruments Designing training programmes Designing monitoring systems Replicating the CA model and scaling up nationwide Integrating CA results with national examinations

Preparation for Site Visits

Select countries Malawi: support from USAID/IEQ/MESA; CA as a

response to low literacy and numeracy levels Namibia: support from USAID/BES3; national CA

implementation; use of results in student promotion Tanzania: national mandate; moderation approach

using CA results and national exams scores

Design information collection protocols Focus on lessons learned and applying

experiences of other countries to Zambia

Countries Selected

Summary of Malawi Site Visit

Feasibility study in Ntcheu district (21 schools) Collaboration between MIE (Malawian Institute

of Education) and MANEB (Malawian National Examinations Board) with IEQ and Equip1

Teacher training in assessment, diagnosis, remediation, and enrichment

Comprehensive strategies involving personnel, assessment tasks, recordkeeping, and monitoring

Some issues in sustainability and scaling up

Success and Weaknesses in Malawi

Successes Innovative assessment tasks (Rainbow framework) Focus on learning outcomes Strong monitoring mechanisms Increase in attendance and interest in learning Teaching / learning using local resources (TALULAR)

Weaknesses Lack of a clear guiding policy (under development) Limited continuation and scaling up Burdensome recordkeeping Overdependence on external funding

Summary of Namibia Site Visit

Large scale reform (no piloting, all levels) Implementation by NIED (Namibian Institute of

Education) Elements of CA integrated into pre-service and

in-service training (by NIED) Teachers manuals with yearly updates Standardized pupil record forms CA results submitted through regional offices CA results moderated at various levels

Successes and Weaknesses in Namibia

Successes Country-wide implementation Well-funded, sustainable program Excellent support from the central level Some CA included in-service teacher training Pre-service training curriculum with elements of CA

Weaknesses Lack of standardization in the implementation of CA Inadequate monitoring at the school level Insufficient training of implementers (success often

depended on strength of head teacher) Overload for teachers

Summary of Tanzania Site Visit

Preparatory site visits to other countries (China, Cuba, North Korea)

Implementation through political directive (no piloting, nationwide coverage, all levels)

Programme support by NECTA (National Examinations Council of Tanzania)

Academic and character assessments Moderation of CA results with national exams Program scaled back to include secondary

levels and academic assessments

Successes and Weaknesses in Tanzania

Successes Collaboration between institutions (NECTA, MOE, and the TIE) Increase in student discipline and improved classroom mgmt. Manageable workload for teachers (after the removal of the

character assessment component) Systematic analysis of results (by NECTA) Use of CA and national exams results to rank schools in zones

and districts Weaknesses

Discontinuation of CA at the lower levels No pre- or in-service teacher training on elements of CA Cumbersome manual methods for moderation of CA results Some cheating by teachers on CA results Some reluctance by teachers to accept CA as an alternative

assessment system Original CA system become continuous testing (instead of CA)

Lessons Learned and Applications to the Zambian Context

Promote close collaboration between stakeholders Roles must be clearly defined for each stakeholder Training must be provided

Build up CA program through targeted workshops Produce quality materials (e.g., teachers manuals

and guides) and instruments Design simple and user-friendly record forms Pilot materials, instruments, data collection, and

monitoring systems in a sample of zones

Lessons Learned and Applications to the Zambian Context (continued)

Train provincial, district, zone, and school officials in recordkeeping and monitoring

Train teachers on CA via pre-service (after piloting) and in-service training (as the programme develops)

Create a system for submitting, analyzing, moderating, and disseminating results (at the different levels)

Develop a regular monitoring system, with a focus on the local level

Standardize activities by creating clear implementation guidelines at the local level

Lessons Learned and Applications to the Zambian Context (continued)

Evaluate results with a focus on: Improved instruction Increased student achievement

Create a scalable and replicable model based on the results of the pilot

Begin to show complete ownership Collaborate with TA and clients to build programme Include a budget line in the MOE for expansion of

CA in accordance with MOE CA policy