Classroom-based assessment (CBA), also known as "formative", "ongoing" or "authentic" assessment, consists of informal practices conducted by teachers and learners themselves to both monitor and improve the quality of learning processes.
Bernard, J. 2009. Learning counts: An overview of approaches to understanding, assessing and improving the quality of education for all. Paris: UNESCO.
Originally conceived as a way of preventing drop outs through early detection of learning problems in higher education (Cross and Angelo, 1993), CBA has become recognized as a way of improving the overall quality of teaching and learning at all levels. Teacher-administered, informal techniques associated with CBA seek to monitor all aspects of student learning, including the acquisition of knowledge, values, skills, and behaviours in ways that help teachers adjust their teaching to meet the needs of the whole group as well as individual learners (UNESCO, 2009:32-32).
Bernard, J. 2009. Learning counts: An overview of approaches to understanding, assessing and improving the quality of education for all. Paris: UNESCO.