Reviewing the philosophy of assessment

Schools should be able to tailor their assessment according to the context, values and human beings involved so that the process is meaningful and truly educational. The following three steps must be considered if we are to move to a new paradigm that puts learning first: 1) Terminal examinations should be weighted in such a way that they count for no more than one third to, at most, half of an end of year grade; 2) Schools should be at liberty to design their own courses and celebrate student achievements on those courses without fear that this will not be accepted by universities. This means that universities have to show open-mindedness in accepting alternative transcripts and diplomas from a multiplicity of different institutions. This is real diversity in action; 3) Students should be able to curate their own stories in a portfolio-type fashion so as to own the narrative of their learning more actively and seriously. At the core of this movement is the idea that assessment for today’s world must change so that we move from an industrial approach to a human approach.