Innovative Assessment Practices at Secondary School Level: Case Study of a School in Sikkim

The present study uses in-depth case study method to document the innovative Assessment practices of Secondary Level Schools in Sikkim.In order to collect direct data and get an idea of the best assessment practices followed, one of the secondary schools was selected purposively on the basis of the findings of the quantitative phase of this study. In the course of study, both classroom observations and interviews with the selected teachers were carried out. More specifically, each participant was interviewed once and the researcher looked directly at the assessment practices that teachers applied, rather than relying on other alternative accounts. The findings indicate that in the scholastic area, the teachers in these schools had been taking right decision on their day-to-day assessment practices on the aspects like- what was going to be learnt in a particular session, clearly defining and communicating the learning goals to the learners, probing the questions wisely, designing tasks to check the learning outcomes, providing right feedback and opportunities for learners to use the feedback provided to further progress. Moreover, it was revealed that unique co-scholastic assessment practiceswere followed at the school thatwas supported by a proper assessment system which had been developed for strengthening assessment practices and maintaining its sustainability. Limitations and Implication of the study are discussed and consequently, recommendations to develop and establish a school-wide agreement about the best practices of assessment across all the subject areas are made.