International trends in the implementation of assessment for learning revisited: Implications for policy and practice in a post-COVID world

Louis Volante; Christopher DeLuca; Nicole Barnes; Menucha Birenbaum; Megan Kimber; Martha Koch; Anne Looney; Jenny Poskitt; Kari Smith; Claire Wyatt-Smith

doi:10.1177/14782103241255855

International trends in the implementation of assessment for learning revisited: Implications for policy and practice in a post-COVID world

Policy Futur Educ. 2024 May 22;23(1):224-242. doi: 10.1177/14782103241255855. eCollection 2025 Jan.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
² Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
³ Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA.
⁴ School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
⁵ Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁶ University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
⁷ Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
⁸ Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
⁹ Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Isdalstø, Norway.
¹⁰ Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Abstract

This paper discusses the evolution of assessment for learning (AfL) across the globe with particular attention given to Western educational jurisdictions. Scholars from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States discuss prominent assessment reforms within their respective countries over the last decade. Particular attention is given to the impact of the pandemic as well as technological developments for classroom assessment policies and practices. Ongoing tensions that exist between AfL and summative forms of assessment within national policy initiatives are also revisited in relation to the seminal version of this article published 10 years ago.

Keywords: Assessment for learning; artificial intelligence; education policy; education reform.