An Analysis of Competence-Based Assessment in Tanzanian Primary and Secondary Schools: Current Situation, Challenges, and Future Directions

Abstract

An empirical review was carried out to explore competency-based assessment in Tanzania's primary and secondary schools. The study was guided by constructivism and social theory. It was a desk review whereby several empirical studies relating to competency-based assessment were reviewed to assess types, effectiveness, challenges, and strategies adopted to design improved competency-based assessment in primary and secondary schools in Tanzania. The study revealed that formative and summative assessments are the main assessments used in primary and secondary schools. Although diagnostic, evaluative, and placement assessments were important, they were rarely used. The study also found that the competency-based assessment is effective because it allows the assessor to discover the learner's talents, design tailor made lessons to fit them and lead the individual learner to meet predetermined goals. The challenges for competency-based were achieving excellence, large class size, infrastructure for learning, assessment standards, and broad recognition and understanding. The study explored the strategies for competency-based assessment criteria and determined that they should be clear, specific, measurable, and based on the expected performance levels for the job role and the organization. The study concludes that competency-based assessment is reasonable, provided that the implementers know the goals and get appropriate in-service training to fit the goals. The study recommends that assessors should apply all assessment types to identify talents and position the learners to where they fit, and also, several learners per class should adhere to enable a conducive learning environment.