Recommendations for making school learners’ assessment inclusive

Assessment of learners’ competences is at the core of current efforts to renew education systems across Europe. Research has consistently illustrated that summary assessments in themselves are not effective enough. Formative feedback which focuses on the learning process and next steps to support progress towards learning goals are more effective.

Assessment remains a powerful pedagogical process to help students progress, and to help teachers to teach better. However, due to the pressure for results, policy makers, educators, and parents alike tend to overlook the importance of assessing not only knowledge but also skills and attitudes.

Key conditions for success

The working group met in Lisbon for a 2 and a half day-long peer learning activity opened by the Portuguese Minister for education, João Costa.

The group was comprised of participants from 11 EU countries and representatives from European Training Foundation (ETF), Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE), European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE), Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) and the European Commission.

Participants identified some key conditions and messages to ensure an inclusive approach to formative assessment. These include

• ensure assessment practices are appropriate for each country’s education context, culture and history, subject discipline, students’ age and needs
• gather a whole-school, whole community, multi stakeholder approach to assessment, so school leaders, teachers and parents are clearly informed and have a common understanding of the importance and benefits of competence-based assessment for learning
• have a school leadership that supports and implements an inclusive vision of education and sees competence-based assessment for learning as a key component of the school ethos
• teachers should work together to share evaluation toolkits, scoring guides and good practices, and use AI to improve their teaching methods
• assessment should be fully integrated in Initial Teacher Education (including practical classroom training), and in compulsory and comprehensive continuous professional development for school leaders and teachers
• curricula should be streamlined so teachers have more time for formative assessment practices
• learners should benefit from a peer-support, collaborative and learning culture  which ensures their voice is included about their own preferences as to how they are assessed

These main conclusions will be part of a broader thematic report and factsheets on assessment of learners’ competences to be published in summer 2023.

About the group

“Pathways to School Success is one of 2 subgroups of the European Education Area’s working group on Schools. The working groups are made up of EU country-appointed government officials, interest groups and social partners.

The group’s mandate runs from 2021- 2025.

Learn more about the working groups