History of Educational Assessment

Before examining assessment in detail, lets us go back in history to see how the measurement of human abilities  all began. Early evidence of educational testing was conducted in China, called the Imperial Examination  system or keju system. It originated during the Han Dynasty around 115 AD and was introduced during the Sui during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and continued to be adopted throughout the reign of the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, during the few years of the Qing Dynasty, the examination was abolished in 1905. The examination system was conducted over 1300 years.

             Before the system was introduced, most appointments in the imperial bureucracy were based on recommendations from prominent aristocrats and existing officials, and it was commonly accepted that recommeneded  individuals must be of aristicratic rank. What is the Imperial Examination System? It was an examination system tasted proficiency in the "Six Arts" namely; music, archery & horsemanship, arithmetic, writing and knowledge of the rituals and ceremonies in both public and private life. Later it was expanded to cover the 'Five Studies' , namely; military strategy, civil law, revenue & taxation, argiculture and geography, and the Confucian classics. These examination are regarded by many historians as the first standardised tests based on merit.