What type of skills does curriculum-based assessment focus on?

Curriculum-based assessment is designed to evaluate students' skills in relation to what they are being taught within the curriculum. This approach ensures that assessments are directly tied to the academic content and functional skills that students are expected to learn. By focusing on both academic and functional skills, curriculum-based assessments provide insight into how well students are mastering the material and applying it to real-world situations, which can be critical for their overall development and future success.

Academic skills refer to the foundational knowledge and abilities in areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics. Functional skills, on the other hand, include practical abilities that allow students to navigate daily life effectively, such as communication and problem-solving skills. The integration of these types of skills reflects a comprehensive understanding of the student's progress within the educational framework.

This focus on academic and functional skills distinguishes curriculum-based assessments from other assessments that may look exclusively at life skills, social and emotional skills, or artistic skills, which are not the primary targets of curriculum-based assessment methodologies.