Assessment guides, restricts, supports and strangles : Tensions in teachers’ conceptions of assessment during an assessment reform

Abstract

This study examines tensions in teachers' conceptions of assessment following an assessment reform in Finland, which has traditionally been a low-stakes assessment culture. There are no national examinations in comprehensive education; instead, teachers assign students' final grades. Recently, the country has introduced more detailed criteria for the final assessment to improve the comparability of grades. The analysis of 28 teacher interviews reveals that this relatively minor reform has created four significant tensions in teachers’ conceptions of assessment. We call for assessment reforms to be culturally sensitive, carefully considering the context in which they are implemented and paying attention to possible tensions.