Teacher’s Perceptions of Classroom Assessment Practices in the Algerian Primary School

Abstract

The current research aims at elaborating and validating a set of scales to investigate the classroom assessment practices under the competency based paradigm, implemented by the Algerian Department of Education since 2003. The study sought to probe the levels of teachers' assessment competency and its impact on the student learning quality. It addresses a practical issue often encountered in student assessment: how do teachers perceive and implement assessment in their everyday instruction? A sample of 156 primary school teachers in Algeria was involved and their perceptions were collected using a survey method. This study focused on the main challenges affecting teachers’ classroom assessment methods and practices. It strives to establish which assessment strategies are mostly used by teachers in their daily instruction in order to describe how the challenges influenced their classroom assessment practices and thus the learning quality. The data analyses were descriptive. This study revealed that the teachers were skilled enough in traditional assessment methods. In contrast, they showed some weakness in dealing with competency-based assessment methods. Based on these findings, it is suggested that primary school teachers should be informed about the adequate methods and techniques to align with the competency-based assessment approach. Thus, workshops and in-service training programs about the new assessment methods are imperative to promote quality learning.