Book excerpt: This work explores the historical, conceptual, theoretical and practical dimensions of school-based assessment (SBA) in a public examination. In part 1, Griffith offers the history and context for the exploration of the issues of SBA in a public examination and reviews the history and concept of public examinations and the evolution and mandate of the CaribbeanExaminations Council as a public examinations board serving member countries of the region. In part 2, he provides the foundations for a discourse of the concept, theory and practice of SBA in the context of the public examinations of the Caribbean Examinations Council and explores key issues in SBA in a public examination. In part 3, he examines a number of new directionsand practices related to SBA in a public examination, for example, the use of an alternative (external) paper to assess the same competencies developed and assessed in the SBA undertaken in schools, the implementation and assessment of group work in SBA, the use of a single project for the SBA of a cluster of subjects, and ways in which the benefits of SBA in a public examination may guide practice at all levels of the education system to improve student learning and assessment."There is a need to present the valuable work of the CXC in a way that stakeholders can understand it. . . . Griffith discusses the challenges that the examination board faces with regard to the school-based assessments as well as the alternative to the school-based assessment, and recommends strategies and procedures to deal with the challenges. He presents sound discussions . . . [and] shows knowledge and understanding of current thinking in the field."--James A. Halliday, School of Education, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados"The work makes a solid contribution to the growing body of literature on the CXC's school-based assessment . . . [and] demonstrates a high level of scholarship through the writer's obvious knowledge and understanding and insightful analysis and arguments presented. This analysis is applied with equal facility to theoretical as well as practical issues related to the SBA."--Gordon N. Harewood, education assessment specialist, Barbados