Assessment in Ghana and England: putting reform to the test of practice

Assessment reform, in particular a move towards more school-based forms of assessment, has become a global phenomenon. Involving teachers more centrally in assessment has often been rationalised by claims derived from the literature on formative assessment, hinging on the enhanced validity of performance assessment and the potential of classroom assessment for improving the quality of learning. This paper draws on work in Ghana and England which suggests that in neither case are the potentialities for improvement being realised. Teachers¿ conceptualisation of assessment has been a significant barrier to improvement. We present outlines of participatory research projects to address this problem, where practitioners¿ own investigation will be used as a way of addressing the need for changes, rooted both in increased technical expertise and in their own belief systems. The divergent contexts for the projects may enable a deeper evaluation of the potential of this methodology than might have occurred in just one country.