Assessment Matters

Assessment in NLS context is the holistic assessment of a child which is key to provide ample and apt information to help a child cope and learn in school. Every student in NLS is an individual who brings with him not only the academic needs to be addressed but more so, his emotional capacity or the lack of it. These information will be useful tools to all form and subject teachers not only in preparing for a differentiated class per subject but also to approach the child with the style best suits him.

NLS balances between summative and formative assessments to ensure that while students are assessed according to their level, there is enough of a summative component that help them benchmark themselves against that of their peers and with the expected level of competence that the students need to demonstrate at each stage of their education in NLS and prepare them eventually for the expectations of employment or further education.

Summative assessments also help ensure fairness in the assessment system when considering students for student awards, ISC choices and progression to ITE. In general, students are assessed more formatively because they join NLS with widely varied starting points and to help them build up their confidence and address their gaps.

In addition ongoing formative assessment is also used to give specific feedback to the students on their progress and areas of weakness. The information is also used as feedback into the review of the curriculum. For formative assessments to be effective, they need to be differentiated based on the ability of the students and what they have learnt in terms of pedagogy and content.