Teachers’ Use of Descriptive Assessment in Primary School Mathematics Education in Iran

Abstract

In many countries, assessment and curriculum reforms came into being in recent decades. In Iran, an important educational assessment reform took place called Descriptive Assessment (DA). In this reform, the focus of student assessment was moved from a more summative approach of providing grades and deciding about promotion to the next grade to a more formative approach of providing descriptive feedback aimed at improving student learning. In this study, we evaluated how seven fourth-grade mathematics teachers used the principles of DA. Data were collected by a questionnaire on assessment practices and beliefs, lesson observations, and interviews. Although the teachers varied in how they assess their students, in general their assessment practice is by and large in line with the DA guidelines. Nevertheless, in some respects we found differences. When assessing their students, the teachers essentially do not check the students’ strategies and when preparing the report cards, they still use final exams because they do not sufficiently trust the assessments methods suggested by DA. The guideline to use assessment results for adapting instruction is also not genuinely put into action. The article is concluded by discussing dilemmas the teachers may encounter when implementing DA.

Examining What Influences Mathematics Teachers' Implementation of Formative Assessment

“…[22] As a teacher, I have valuable experience in planning for the implementation of effective formative assessments in the classroom (Akiri et al, 2021). This is due to teachers' lack of awareness of the aim of formative assessment approaches (Poomoney, 2020), as well as philosophical, pedagogical, cultural, and political quandaries (Heuvel-Panhuizen et al, 2021), as well as varied degrees of teacher expertise (Hannula, 2019). Furthermore, Abdul Halim et al ( 2020) mentioned in the study that teachers' degree of knowledge on non-routine math problems is not in line with their ability to solve and improve non-routine math, and that instructors also lack comprehension when implementing their plans.…”

“…Furthermore, a lack of educational resources contributes to the impossibility of implementing teacher (Abdul Halim et al 2020). However, the most significant contributor to this implementation constraint is due to practices that have existed around the school (Heuvel-Panhuizen et al, 2021), which is that a frequent practice makes teachers unfamiliar with the changes that have been made (Drey et al, 2018). Even teachers believe that the process of implementing formative assessments is complicated, making it difficult for them to implement a real assessment (Ahmedi, 2019).…”

“…However, according to Jani (2019), confusion persists because of the loss of information due to class sizes that are too large. However, the culture of grade-consciousness among teachers persists because the summative test makes it easier to assess students' level of understanding and the process is quicker, simpler, and more measurable (Heuvel-Panhuizen et al 2021). This is also supported by Cunningham (2021), who asserts that as a result, teachers will disregard formative assessment in favor of focusing on students' test performance and completing the curriculum as quickly as possible.…”

“…[21] Management in administration also contributes to teachers' inability to implement effective assessments in the classroom. Among them are ensuring that teachers receive adequate training (Heuvel-Panhuizen et al, 2021); providing an adequate handbook as a reference (Brink & Bartz, 2017); and ensuring that assessment implementation is effective through continuous monitoring (Mahmud et al, 2020). Teachers will face challenges if the following are ignored: not understanding in depth how the assessment should be carried out (implementation) Akiri et al, (2021), how to use or implement the correct recording in Cunningham's assessment, ( 2021), implementing the correct method or approach or should be used to assess the students (planning) Fara & Siti (2021), and deepening and understanding the importance of assessments.…”

“…However, there are three studies that show that most teachers do not take curriculum policy seriously (Ahmedi, 2019). As (Heuvel-Panhuizen et al, 2021) teachers lack confidence in formative assessment to improve student learning performance, this is due to the practice factors they have become accustomed to.…”