Abstract
The role of assessment as one of the key drivers of education reform is widely accepted by system leaders, academics and researchers, and by organizations such as the OECD and the World Bank. Assessment is now part of the global discourse on education reform, and its role in effecting change is generally viewed as ‘good news’. Get the assessment right, and everything else falls into place. There is less agreement, however, about how the enabling power of assessment ‘works’ in reform programs and how it should connect with accountability, with curriculum and with instruction in education systems. Fullan’s, (Seminar Series Paper No. 204, 2011), right and wrong drivers framework is particularly relevant in this regard.
This chapter considers the potential of policy theory as a source for a perspective on assessment that takes account of enabling and disabling power. Consideration is given to whether assessment is a stand-alone policy technology, or one that works in conjunction with other, more familiar, policy technologies such as markets and accountability. Recent developments in the Republic of Ireland provide a context for consideration, but connections are made with developments in, and debates about, assessment in Australia and in the United States.
Note: Dr. Looney has written this chapter in her personal capacity, and the views and analyses within are her own.
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Looney, A. (2014). Assessment and the Reform of Education Systems. In: Wyatt-Smith, C., Klenowski, V., Colbert, P. (eds) Designing Assessment for Quality Learning. The Enabling Power of Assessment, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5902-2_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5902-2_15
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