Workgroup on Personalised and Formative Assessment Practices

The project’s aim is to collect at least 15-20 practices on innovative and formative assessment methods. Our organisations have been cooperating on the topic of assessment for the last couple of years. We started an assessment group in order to study what is already available in alternative assessment methods and what might be still done. Together we formulated our main question: how can the unfolding of the unique potential of each and every child/youngster through contextualised, individualised, participatory assessment processes that give learners a feeling of agency and self-efficacy be best supported?

Employers increasingly require transversal skills that enable workers to socially engage in the workplace. They also have to quickly adapt all the time, which calls for employees who can envision solutions for the future. Portfolios that reflect personal development and non-formal learning either within formal education settings or extra-curricular activities will matter more than exam results. They better show the potential for creativity and entrepreneurship that is badly needed in our society.

Early school leaving can be tackled if, instead of being frustrated by marking systems, each individual learner’s self-development is appreciated and supported. This allows pupils to own their own learning experiences, as the learning process is not imposed from outside but rather experienced as an engaging learning pathway.

It is important to support human development in the context of a world of accelerating technological changes, a world of increased mobility, and an increasingly segregated society. Young people need to experience a sense of purpose and accomplishments when confronted with unexpected changes. If this is learned early in life, more security will be felt that they will be able to deal with an unpredictable future.

This project aims to look for and into already existing innovative and interesting good assessment practices. We do know that there are teachers and schools who work efficiently with alternative assessment methods, and it would be inspirational for educational settings to get acquainted with those in a well-documented way set into context by adding information about the schools, teachers, the methods and their acceptance by parents and pupils.

Find here the link to the project website: http://personalisedassessment.ecswe.eu