How do teachers respond to assessment reform? Exploring decision-making processes

ABSTRACT

Background: As a consequence of government-led assessment reforms, teachers are often tasked with implementing changes in assessment practice. What influences teachers’ responses to such reform? Our study considers this question in the context of the recent post-16 educational reform to the national qualifications system in England, which resulted in a shift from modular to linear assessment for high-stakes academic qualifications (A levels) taken by many students at the end of secondary education.

Purpose: This small-scale study aimed to investigate, in depth, the decision-making processes of senior teachers and school leaders in response to the post-16 educational reform.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 senior teachers and school leaders at a point in time after the reform. Data were analysed thematically, with the notions of utilitarianism and bounded rationality providing a conceptual basis for the analysis and interpretation of data.

Findings: The analysis of interview data allowed for the exploration of factors that reportedly influenced decisions, providing insight into possible explanations for similarities and divergences in approach. Findings indicated that the reform was enacted differently in different schools; senior teachers and school leaders made decisions to benefit their stakeholders but were constrained by various limiting factors, including their perceptions of reformed qualifications, school culture, time, information and resources.

Conclusion: Our study contributes to the understanding of how local contexts shape senior teachers’ and school leaders’ responses to assessment reform. The study highlights themes of international relevance that are applicable to theorising and reflecting on teachers’ responses to external, top-down educational changes.

KEYWORDS:

• Assessment reform
• teacher agency
• secondary education
• linear assessment
• A level qualification
• school leaders

Acknowledgments

Thank you to our colleagues at Cambridge Assessment who assisted us with this work, particularly Filio Constantinou, Lucy Chambers and Irenka Suto.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. For a helpful timeline of the reform, please see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-the-facts-gcse-and-a-level-reform/get-the-facts-as-and-a-level-reform.

2. Synoptic assessment occurs when two or more modules are synthesised into one assessment. The purpose is to encourage learners to establish links between different elements of the subject, thus creating a more coherent and in-depth understanding (Dearing 1996; QCA 2000). Synoptic learning was argued to be important for progression to university and therefore would make A levels more fit-for-purpose as a qualification for university entrance (Ofqual 2018a; Department for Education 2010; Higton et al. 2012).

3. UCAS Tariff points, often referred to as UCAS points, are used by some UK university and colleges in their entry requirements (see further Gill 2016).

4. There are nine qualification levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A levels and AS levels are classified as Level 3 qualifications. For a list of Level 3 qualifications, see further https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels.

5. The schools had different funding arrangements, including academy, voluntary aided and community schools.

6. The Extended Project Qualification requires students to select a topic, design and carry out a project and produce an outcome, which could be a research report, an artwork, or a product, for example. The project is carried out in a largely independent manner. Core Maths refers to a family of mathematical qualifications that involve the application of mathematical skills to practical situations.