Elementary school teachers’ and principals’ views regarding components of optimal formative teacher assessment

Formative teacher assessment models aim at identifying individual strengths and weaknesses as a basis for planning actions to stimulate professional development. School principals and teachers may perceive the process of teacher assessment differently which ultimately may influence its efficacy. In the present study the views of elementary school teachers and principals were compared concerning four major components of an optimal formative teacher assessment scheme: assessment criteria, sources of information, active partners, and actions following assessment. Data were collected by questionnaire from 1166 teachers and 177 principals, who rated the importance of including different aspects of the four components in such a scheme. Overall, teachers and principals held comparable visions that emphasize a comprehensive and varied assessment model encompassing a multiplicity of criteria, several active partners, various sources of information, and the use of teacher assessment for planning individual and staff development. However, consistent differences were found in the strength of their ratings, suggesting that principals tend to be more confident of their views than teachers. Identifying similarities and differences in what principals and teachers expect to be included in optimal formative teacher assessment can inform the design of assessment schemes to effectively support professional development. The findings of this study have broader relevance to formative dialogic assessment practices by emphasizing the importance of agreement between evaluators and those being evaluated regarding the process and purpose of assessment, as well as the need for linkage between assessment results and a concrete plan for their utilization to improve educational processes.