Pedagogies for Preservice Assessment Education: Supporting Teacher Candidates' Assessment Literacy Development

Abstract

Despite assessment-based accountability movements throughout educational systems in the United States, teacher assessment literacy continues to be an identified area of concern. Contributing to this concern is a dearth of research on preservice assessment education including both its curricular and pedagogical approaches. The purpose of this study was to examine pedagogies that support positive changes in teacher candidates' conceptions of assessment. Drawing on open-ended questionnaire data from teacher candidate participants, this study found four explicit pedagogical constructs that teacher candidates identified as instrumental in contributing to their learning about assessment. Specifically, these constructs were: (a) perspective-building conversations, (b) praxis activities, (c) modeling, and (d) critical reflection and planning for learning. In addition to providing practical descriptive examples of each pedagogical approach, this article concludes with suggestions for future research and practice in assessment education.