Low assessment literacy in an assessment-obsessed field: What teacher candidates learn about assessment during teacher education

Abstract

Over the past two decades, US teachers have witnessed the growth of high-stakes assessments. However, this trend in K-12 schools has not necessarily contributed to increased time spent preparing prospective teachers to assess student learning. In this study, we aimed to better understand teacher candidates’ (TCs) conceptions of assessment. Our findings indicate that TCs have a disjointed conception of assessment at the end of teacher education that could contribute to a lack of agency in designing, implementing, and challenging assessment practices in the K-12 classroom. We draw on our findings to offer implications for teacher educators to better prepare assessment literate teachers.

Keywords:

• Teacher education
• assessment
• concept development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Meghan E. Barnes

Meghan E. Barnes is Associate Professor of English Education at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses on teaching English to secondary learners, the politics of language and writing, and qualitative research. In her research, Meghan draws on sociocultural theory to consider pre-service teachers’ developing conceptual understandings of teaching and literacy, as well as community engaged approaches to both teaching and research. Meghan’s recent work has been published in Teaching and Teacher Education, Journal of Teacher Education, English Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and English Teaching: Practice and Critique.

Lahcen Qasserras

Lahcen Qasserras is a doctoral candidate in the Curriculum and Instruction program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, specializing in Learning, Design, and Technology. He is also a K-12 Multilingual Learner educator in North Carolina. Mr. Qasserras completed his Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Ibn Tofail University in Morocco and earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Queen’s University of Charlotte. He is also a recipient of the Fulbright FLTA Scholarship for the academic year 2010–2011. With a research focus that centers on leveraging technology to foster equitable education, Mr. Qasserras is committed to innovating pedagogical practices that benefit diverse learning communities.