Intention Versus Implementation: A Perspective Study on the Summative Assessment in Secondary Curriculum (2012) of Bangladesh

Abstract

Quality of education largely depends on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment strategy.  Particularly, summative assessment is indisputable for the justification of students learning outcome, assigning grades and promoting them to the next level of education. The study examined the intention and practices of summative assessment as stipulated in the National Curriculum (2012) of secondary education in Bangladesh. A convergent parallel mixed-method design was adopted in this study. Data were collected, using convenient sampling technique, from head teachers, assistant teachers and educationists through multiple methods including survey, semi-structured interview, focused group dissuasions and document analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to examine teachers’ practices, while qualitative data analyzed thematically to tap the participants’ perceptions of summative assessment. Result indicates that the prescribed summative assessment structures are practiced widely, including reasonable semester examinations, covering all chapters, marks allocation on cognitive skills, construct and adherence to guideline matrices. Moreover, qualitative data reveal significant issues in implementation, including excessive workload, vast syllabus, inadequate assessment training and literacy that decrease implementations. The paper concludes that the correspondence between the curriculum intentions and classroom practices still partial and fragile. It needs to be supported with more effective professional development and supervision. Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 51(1), 161-179