National, regional and international examinations are usually aimed at assess­ing knowledge and skills of candidates/ students guided by the delimitations of content and objectives specified in a syllabus, curriculum and/ or course outline. These tools of assessment take various forms and modes and are sub­ject to a range of interpretations of achievement or non-achievement. In order to determine levels of achievement, these assessment tools are often accompanied by descriptive rubrics which assist in assigning a fair grade to the items responded to in the examination.

The external assessment of Year Three Practicum is an important component of the assessment process to certify teachers completing the teacher education programme in Jamaica. Students are required to complete nine credit hours* (16 weeks) of practicum, distributed over the three years of intramural study at the teacher education institution. The period of practice in the first and second years is assessed internally, with the third year externally examined (Joint Board of Teacher Education 2003).