ABSTRACT
Broad trends in the learning context internationally, as demonstrated in the previous chapter, are influencing much that is going on in schools. These trends are complemented, and to various degrees influenced, by developments pertaining to assessment practices. This chapter, the second aimed at contextualising the considerations in the remainder of the book, provides a broad overview of these developments. A brief account of the historical background is outlined first. Some of the main concepts related to assessment are then clarified. This is followed by an overview of the main argument advocating a practice which balances ‘assessment of learning’ with ‘assessment for learning’. The chapter concludes by considering how current approaches in various educational systems can act to constrain the realisation of such a balance. Two phenomena in particular are considered in order to illustrate this issue, namely, the growth in international assessments in students’ performance and the role of school inspectors. Attention is also given to the fact that the extent to which ‘assessment for learning’ is constrained by ‘assessment of learning’ can vary significantly from country to country.
