In today’s educational landscape post-COVID pandemic, assessment plays a crucial role in understanding student learning and providing support for their progress. However, while designing and implementing assessments are crucial, the establishment of a strong assessment culture within schools is often overlooked but equally essential.
Collaborating with the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (NCIEA), ISTE is exploring the characteristics of a healthy assessment culture. But before diving into assessment culture, it’s important to understand the significance of school culture, as it lays the foundation for assessment culture.
School culture encompasses the implicit assumptions, beliefs, and expectations that drive activities within a school. This includes unwritten rules about decision-making and the recognition of achievements. It’s been shown in research that reforms often fail in schools when they go against or overlook the existing school culture.
Similarly, assessment culture is shaped by the underlying beliefs and expectations that students, educators, and leaders have about assessment practices. Just like school culture can impact the implementation of new ideas, assessment culture can influence how assessment practices affect teaching and learning.
When looking at assessment culture, we can see different perspectives that range from less supportive to more supportive of teaching and learning. For instance, a school where students view assessments as a way to confirm their intelligence contrasts with another school where assessments are seen as tools to identify strengths and weaknesses for improvement. Formative assessment practices foster a growth mindset in students, enhancing their ability to tackle challenges and take charge of their learning.
Teachers also play a significant role in shaping assessment culture. Providing professional development opportunities that focus on formative assessment practices rather than test preparation has been proven to have a positive impact on student learning. When assessment culture prioritizes test performance over comprehensive understanding, it can lead to a narrowed curriculum and limited educational experiences for students.
To support districts in developing effective assessment systems, resources like the District Assessment Procurement Protocol (DAPP) and the Fewer and Better Local Assessment Toolkit offer guidance on selecting appropriate assessments and streamlining assessment processes.
The first step in changing assessment culture is to identify the cultural aspects at work within schools or districts. By engaging in conversations with various stakeholders, including students, families, teachers, and leaders, schools can gain insights into factors that support or hinder effective assessment practices. Understanding assessment culture allows for the development of strategies to enhance assessment-related practices and better support student learning.
ISTE, in partnership with assessment experts, is working towards refining a set of assessment culture continua to help districts identify key aspects of assessment culture and drive positive change in school-based assessment practices to improve student learning. By understanding and reshaping assessment culture, schools can create environments that promote student success.
