Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies ... - Unicef

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Section 6.
Disaster Risk Reduction Learning:
Assessment of Students
In Georgia (case study 2) a mixture of what are called determining
assessment and developing assessment are used for DRR
learning in formal learning programmes but only the latter is
used to determine student needs and progress in the informal
but nonetheless mandated Head of Class Hour programme.
In Kazakhstan (case study 3) self-assessment and peer
assessment are used for formative purposes and multiple-choice
tests for summative purposes. A balanced assessment system
combined with recommended portfolio style diversity in
assessment approach is on hand in New Zealand (case study 18)
but teacher feedback suggests minimal take-up.
Clearly, there is a case to be made for the development of more
imaginative and innovative forms of assessment of student
learning under DRR curricula. If knowledge, skills, attitudinal/
dispositional and behavioural learning outcomes matter then
appropriate assessment forms need to be considered in order
to illuminate the actual extent of the realization of these outcomes.
This is suggestive of the widespread application of the portfolio
approach as described above, used for both formative and
summative purposes. Formative assessment modalities,
such as self- and peer assessment, are also consonant with the
embrace of interactive and participatory learning and the child
participation dimensions of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child.
Potential challenges in the introduction of portfolio assessment
are its time and resource implications; it takes longer and costs
more, as Malawi has experienced (case study 15). Time and
resource investment in assessment merits more attention
by DRR education proponents. Ways to integrate assessment
into the flow of the learning process should, in particular,
be explored as a way forward.
Disaster risk reduction curriculum development and integration
will remain an incomplete project unless student learning
assessment is more comprehensively addressed. The choice
of what to assess expresses a curriculum’s priorities both
explicitly and implicitly
Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies from Thirty Countries