Abstract:
This study was launched in order to meet the academic requirement of the
Master of Education Degree programme of the Faculty of Education at the
University of Colombo.
We have witnessed a revolution in assessment programmes at schools in past
ten years. Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and United States
have rebuilt their assessment programmes and also many developing
countries have tried to introduce formative assessment programmes to operate
in parallel with summative assessments. Reconceptualization of assessment
programme is required to achieve the educational goal of enabling students to
be effective thinkers and problem solvers. School based Assessment
programme (SBA) is one of a number of initiatives taken in 1994 by the
government of Sri Lanka with a view of reform the education system to achieve
above goals.
The main objectives of the SBA programme were to improve students" learning
process, to improve teachers" teaching process and to improve assessment
process in order to make teaching and learning more efficient, effective and
transform the school environment from an evaluation culture to an assessment
culture.
A long term allegation against the education system of Sri Lanka is the
inability to assess the skills and abilities of the students through the existing
examination structure in the proper manner. Therefore, a tendency of
following a new direction in the process of education commenced after 1972.
This new beginning is to pay attention to continues assessment system for the
future development of the students. Nevertheless, various attempts made to
overcome the problematic situations.
Some Educators are of the view that, although the school based assessment
programme that was one among the attempts made in the recent time did not
create a controversy in the Education system, but also cannot be treated as a
very successful feature in operation.
While it was expected to study the operation of the SBA programme related to
the subject of Buddhism at G.C.E. (Ordinary Level), introduced to rectify the
weaknesses of the school based assessment programme in the School
Education system. The identification of the methods used in the school based
assessment (SBA) of the subject of Buddhism at G.C.E. (Ordinary Level). The
suitability of those assessments and investigating the manner of operation of
feedback programmes under SBA programme related to the subject of
Buddhism. And the level of awareness of the teachers on SBA programme
related to Buddhism in Ordinary level classes.
