Provincial Report on Assessment of Students Learning 2007

The purpose of this report is to present the findings of achievement test conducted under National Education Assessment System (NEAS) in 2007 within the district of Punjab, Pakistan.  The objective of PEAS/NEAS is to determine the extent to which geographical location and gender disparity impacts student achievement rate. The assessment test also aims to identify the factors that contribute towards student’s achievement and those that hinder performance. The mean score reported in subjects of Mathematics, Urdu and English is 471, 541 and 503 respectively which indicates that although the mean score is above average in Urdu, Mathematics scores continue to lag behind as evidenced in previous assessment results. An analysis of background and variables associated with student achievement revealed that students that were allowed to participate in class and received homework on a regular basis reported higher achievement scores as compared to students that were restricted from participation and received little or no homework.

Use of local language in imparting instructions within mathematics class results in a positive impact on achievement of students whereas it results in a negative impact within Urdu class and thus Urdu language should be used by teachers within Urdu class. Male teachers were found to be more competent in teaching mathematics skills whereas female teachers were found to be more proficient in teaching Urdu language. Socio economic status, use of blackboards and low teacher to student ratio positively impacts student achievement whereas excessive television negatively impact student’s achievement. The study concludes that NEAS is a complex task and the assessment was carried out under strict deadlines along with lack of adequate resources.