A Personal View of Curriculum-Based Assessment

Curriculum-based assessment (CBA), an alternative to traditional assessment practices, offers a system for using curriculum as a diagnostic tool and provides a format for management of instruction. It is based on three central themes: (a) curriculum provides the most basic and meaningful avenue for classroom assessment; (b) curriculum places explicit demands upon the learner; and (c) curriculum must be controlled if academic success is to be achieved. Research on CBA has shown it effective in promoting good classroom performance, especially with mainstreamed, low-achieving children and those with attention deficit disorder.