ISSN 2360-7963
The important role continuous assessment plays in determining students’ success cannot be overemphasised. Continuous assessment is seen to be systematic, comprehensive, cumulative, diagnostic and guidance orientated; that is why the practice of continuous assessment, no doubt, is evident in the changes in assessment techniques by schools. This study aimed to investigate the effect of continuous assessment on the academic performance of students using selected secondary schools as a case study. A survey research design was used for the study; the instrument used to obtain information was a structured questionnaire; the collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages, while regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between continuous assessment and students’ academic performance. A total population of five hundred respondents (500) were selected among 20 secondary schools in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State using the stratified random sampling technique to select the sample. The results of the findings revealed that continuous assessment significantly affects the academic performance of students. The majority (75%) of respondents agreed that continuous assessment tests are used by the teachers to assess students’ performance. One problem faced by schools with the introduction of continuous assessment techniques is that 36% of respondents strongly agreed it made teachers' jobs more tedious in secondary schools. The majority (54.8%) of respondents agreed that continuous assessment could lead students to cheating to be awarded higher marks. 36.6% of respondents concurred that continuous assessment techniques could potentially foster favouritism, as teachers might choose to award higher marks to students they prefer. It was recommended that there is a need for the state ministry of education to organise seminars and workshops for teachers to update their knowledge on the practice of continuous assessment, school heads to oversee the keeping of various assessment records, and teachers to have assessment log books for proper assessment, and there should be monitoring and supervision of teachers.
Keywords: Continuous assessment, teachers, students, academic performance, evaluation