RUAHA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

The study assessed classroom assessment practices commonly used by mathematics teachers in public secondary schools in Mafinga Town Council, Iringa. A quantitative approach with a descriptive research design was used. Twenty mathematics teachers were purposively selected from five public secondary schools (target population: 48 Mathematics teachers). All participants were actively involved in classroom teaching and assessment activities. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and classroom observation schedules and analyzed using Factor Analysis with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The KMO value was 0.72 and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity was significant (χ² = 256.84, df = 105, p < 0.001), confirming the data were suitable for PCA. The findings showed that purpose of assessment (monitoring students’ learning progress, evaluating students’ understanding and guiding instructional decisions) was the most dominant dimension. Procedures of assessment (planning assessment activities, administering tests, recording students’ performance and providing feedback) ranked second. Methods of assessment were mostly traditional and exam-oriented: written tests, quizzes, homework assignments and oral questioning. Learner-centred approaches like peer assessment and self-assessment were used least. The study concludes that formative and learner-centred classroom assessment practices need consistent implementation to improve teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes in mathematics classrooms. It is recommended that education stakeholders strengthen professional development programmes, institutional support and learner-centred assessment approaches to improve classroom assessment practices and student learning outcomes.

Assessment for learning, classroom assessment, mathematics, teachers’ practices