KIX Observatory: Learning assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa

In education, assessment is an important tool for tracking the academic performance and learning progress of students. The assessment also helps determine the effectiveness of teaching and the various needs of an education system. Learning assessments provide schools and teachers with an understanding of what the students are learning, and how to adopt measures that promote effective teaching (Education Endowment Foundation, 2020; Liberman, Levin, & Luna-Bazaldua, 2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying school closures, complicated traditional methods of measuring student progress which largely relied on pencil and paper assessment and the physical presence of learners. Despite this, education stakeholders have emphasized the need for the continuation of learning assessment as a way to inform effective teaching and recovery from the negative impacts of the pandemic. This report synthesizes learning assessment practices during school closures and after their reopening among partner countries in the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).