ABILITY vs ATTAINMENT: the Victor Osimhen story

AFCON 2023 has come and gone but the memories still remains. It is the most popular football event in Africa and was initially scheduled in 2023 but due to climate concerns in Ivory Coast, it was rescheduled and held in 2024. After the competition, CAF reported that AFCON 2023 recorded two billion views, the highest in the history of the tournament. Many Nigerians have attributed this feat to the fact that Super Eagles went all the way to the Final stage, hence a lot of people were watching the matches.

Many Super Eagles players stood out for me. Williams Troost-Ekong, Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman and the rest of the team did exceptionally well. Though it was not the result we expected at the end of the day, nevertheless, the Super Eagles have nothing to be ashamed of.

Victor Osimhen was one player that got everyone talking. He is widely acclaimed as one of the best strikers in the world and the best striker in Italy (last season). Having helped Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years and won the CAF Male Player of the Year Award, expectations were high on Victor Osimhen to help Nigeria win the AFCON title.

However, the bright and fast-paced striker was only able to record one goal in AFCON 2023 (if we exclude those concealed goals due to the VAR decision). Despite this, a lot of people still believe Osimhen can score more (I believe so too).

Now, he is back at Napoli and has started scoring, netting a hat trick in one of his matches. Referring to Osimhen, someone rightly said, that FORM is temporary but CLASS is permanent.

As I analysed this situation, I concluded that there is a great difference between ABILITY and ATTAINMENT. If we bring this to the academic world, we will agree that ability is permanent while attainment is temporary.

Ability is what a child is about to do. In academic affairs, it is the academic work a child can do. Academic attainment can be referred to as the level of work a child produces during a test or examination.

Academic attainment may not be a true test/reflection of a child's academic ability because it can be influenced by many factors such as state of mind, state of health, available extra tutoring with a teacher at school, and private tutoring at home.

Differentiating between ability and attainment in the classroom: the role of baseline tests????????

A high-flying student may not do well in tests or exams due to anxiety or ill health. Other external conditions can also influence him. This is why school owners and teachers must carry out baseline tests for their students. This will help them ascertain the true ability of their students and not just base their conclusions alone on the outcome of tests or assessments.

Baseline Tests are essential means of collecting information about a child's development at the point at which they enter a new school, new class, new term or after learning gaps (ie periods when the child isn't undergoing formal education)

How to carry out baseline tests: Baseline tests can take many different forms. These tests can be carried out in various ways, from informal observations to standardised tests.

Benefits of baseline tests

1) They support teaching and learning

2) They influence teachers' expectations of their learners

3) They support goal setting.

What other benefits of baseline tests do you know?

Do share with us in the comment section.

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