The research says the practice defies the notion of inclusive education. Presented yesterday at the ongoing 30th Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA), the paper is co-authored by University of Botswana lecturers, Sourav Mukhopadhyay and Nelly Malatsi from the Department of Education Foundation. Thirty seven percent of respondents said learners in special-units were not assessed regularly. Respondents further believed that 'unavailability of formal tests or tools' and 'lack of proper procedures and information' are the main reasons for learners not being assessed. Mukhopadhyay told the AEAA conference that the practice led to students not progressing from one level to another.
Sixty seven percent of respondents also reported that unlike their peers who have no intellectual impairments, learners usually do not write any formal tests. "Moreover, no adaptation or accommodations of tests are used because learners with intellectual impairments are never assessed for school subjects as they do not do the same curriculum," the report says. The paper argues that although the RNPE emphasises the importance of assessment of learners for academic attainment, assessment of learners with intellectual disabilities is not mandatory in special education units. "This creates a huge gap between policy and practice," the report states.
