Broadening the basis of assessment to prevent the narrowing of learning

This article presents an argument for a reconsideration of the types of assessment pro- moted by national policy. It argues that education for the twenty-first century should place emphasis on higher-order skills and 'deep learning' while not neglecting basic skills. The evidence relating...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curriculum journal (London, England) England), 1998-10, Vol.9 (3), p.285-297
Main Authors: James, Mary, Gipps, Caroline
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
assessment
Educational policy
Educational sciences
learning
national policy
Policy, reform, legislation
United Kingdom
Western Europe
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Summary:This article presents an argument for a reconsideration of the types of assessment pro- moted by national policy. It argues that education for the twenty-first century should place emphasis on higher-order skills and 'deep learning' while not neglecting basic skills. The evidence relating to the impact of assessment on learning is briefly reviewed, as is the current state of understanding about different types of learning. On this basis it is argued that the range of types of assessments used, both formally and informally, should be expanded to illuminate and support a wide spectrum of rel- evant learning, including both the learning of facts and skills, deeper understandings of concepts and principles and their application in unfamiliar contexts. The impli- cations for policy and for the refocusing of national assessment in England are then discussed and an alternative framework is proposed.
ISSN:0958-5176
1469-3704
DOI:10.1080/0958517970090303