OUR national educational policies have not paid much attention to improving students’ assessment, which has become a major hurdle to students’ learning.

The prevailing traditional assessment in its summative form is administered to large groups of students to broadly assess their knowledge across various subjects. It often focuses on memorisation and recall. The written examination typically tests students’ ability to recall information and apply knowledge under time constraints. Students are asked to write extended responses that demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This type of assessment tests students’ research skills, analysis, and writing aptitude.

Multiple choice questions are used widely in examinations, which test recall and the recognition of correct answers. However, while they can assess factual knowledge they can’t really evaluate students’ thinking skills of a higher order.

In response to the limitations of traditional assessment, various alternative forms of assessment have been developed to better capture students’ learning and skills. Alternative forms of assessment include formative assessment, project-based assessment, performance-based assessment, and competency-based assessment. Many digital platforms provide adaptive quizzes that adjust according to students’ responses, thus offering a more personalised assessment experience.

We have to move on from traditional forms of assessment.

The demands of the 21st century require a shift from traditional forms of assessment to one that aligns with the skills and competencies needed in today’s world. These include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, digital literacy, and the ability to navigate complex and real-world challenges. It requires moving away from rote memorisation and encouraging students to answer open-ended questions for which they need to synthesise information, analyse issues, and propose solutions.

By incorporating diverse, real-world assessments, such as project-based learning, collaborative tasks, digital portfolios, and competency-based models, teachers can better prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The key is to create assessments that not only measure what students know but also how they can apply that knowledge, work with others, think critically, and continue learning throughout their lives, which is, after all, the real purpose of education.

Strategies for improving students’ assessment include formative assessments that allow students to demonstrate understanding throughout the course, rather than relying solely on summative assessments. There is a need to provide detailed rubrics that explain how grades will be assigned based on specific criteria. It must be ensured that the rules are transparent and shared in advance, so that students understand how their work will be evaluated. The use of digital tools can be encouraged to allow for more interactive and flexible assessments.

Incorporating technology such as learning management systems can help teachers track performance and provide continuous formative assessments. A holistic approach to assessment is required, where grades are just one part of overall learning. There is also a need for encouraging growth mindsets, where students are praised not just for their final product, but also for improvement and the effort they put in. Improving students’ assessment requires a comprehensive, multifaceted approach that focuses on fairness, clarity, variety, and giving opportunities for continuous feedback.

Keeping in view the importance of alternative forms of ass­essment, the fed­eral and provincial governments have taken a number of initiatives to transf­orm assessment pr-actices, which see­ms to be quite enc-

ouraging. Exa­mi­n­ation boards in general, and especially in Sindh, have also started working on improving their assessment practices, which besides assessing students’ knowledge base will also give more weightage to the conceptual, practical and critical aspects of learning. The provincial governments have also develo­ped assessment policies to improve the quality of teaching and the learning process. Currently, there is a disconnect bet­ween teaching, the learning process and assessment, which needs to be addressed.

In order to overcome this issue, the Inter-Board Coordination Committee of the federal government has taken some bold steps to reform the assessment practices carried out by the examination boards in the country. However, there is a need for examination boards to be committed to the task of transforming assessment practices in order to improve students’ learning. Educational institutions also need to be committed to the use of alternative forms of assessment for the same purpose.

The writer is a senior educationist, policy scholar and researcher.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2025