Using Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations to Assess Standards of Secondary Education in Nigeria: Illuminating Unresolved Issues
Abstract
This paper examines the issues surrounding achievement of standard assessment as part and parcel of the educational process. Assessment in education is important in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of all components of the educational system. Assessment provides information that assures whether or not the quality of education has been compromised. The issues examined relate to standard assessment including the high stakes in public examination, public perception of the major concerns on the validity of the processes and results of public examination at post primary level. Research perspectives, still so far inconclusive, were also examined. The writer listed areas that should be given attention in trying to respond to the challenges in public examination based on the writer’s view that the present standards are unacceptably low. It is believed that the results of research studies could help to clarify the issues in public examination and thus help to substantially prepare the quality of assessment at the secondary school level and in education in general.
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