Editorial

For many years, society has placed significant emphasis on how well our students perform in assessments. Recent shifts in assessment practices are prompting teachers to review how we use assessments to empower students to take ownership of their learning.  In this issue of AFAL, we are excited to present a series of thought-provoking contributions from our post-graduate students, teachers, middle leaders, and school leaders, who share their views on how we as educators could transform the learning experience of our learners through our assessment practices. 

A common question among teachers is, “How can we empower our learners?”. The four featured articles in this issue advocate for changes in feedback practices to empower our learners to take greater ownership of their learning.  The idea of a “complete feedback cycle” introduces a potential change in pedagogy that teachers could take to provide opportunities for students to have the “power of making sense and acting on their feedback”. Teachers could also reference the 3A Approach (Appreciate, Appraise, Apply) to facilitate students’ self-regulated learning through students ‘power to generate internal feedback’. The examples from our school contributors demonstrate how the inclusion of feedback dialogue and self-assessment practices have increased student voice, which empowered students in the feedback process.

Understanding the importance of empowering learners through assessment practices, it is equally important to encourage fellow educators to ‘release the powers’ that teachers hold in assessment practices to our students. How would the inclusion of student voice impact teachers’ professional development? What are the different levels of perspectives should an assessment leader consider when implementing assessment change? What concrete changes can facilitate teachers in adopting sound assessment practices?  These are questions that our school leaders and middle leaders have attempted to answer in their reflection piece.

As we continue to reflect on how we could empower learners through our assessment practices, we need to rethink some of our current practices of homework and how assessments are used in our school’s context. The reflections from our postgraduate students prompt us to consider and explore innovative sequences of teaching and learning that better prepare students for future learning challenges. It is argued that our current assessment practices could be more inclusive and there is a need to involve students in decision-making to consider what assessment is doing for them. Lastly, with the rapid development of educational technology, the benefits and challenges of creating a feedback-rich environment supported by technology were highlighted. This could be an area that educators could tap into to provide more learners autonomy in how they would want to receive and act on feedback.

We hope the insights and experiences shared in this issue will not only enrich your professional journey but also enhance the learning experiences of your students. We are also pleased to introduce Dr. Amirhossein Rasooli as the newest member of the AFAL editorial team in a conversation piece where he shares his experience and expertise in Assessment.

Thank you for your interest in the AFAL bulletin and we hope that as a community, we can continue to learn and grow to achieve our goal of designing assessments for all learners.