Abstract:

The difficulties encountered by teachers in implementing traditional assessment (Anderson, 1998) during distance learning have contributed to a revision of Italian legislation on the evaluation of learning outcomes in schools.

The period 2020-2022 has highlighted a strong prevalence of traditional frontal teaching and a predominance of teacher-led evaluation for almost all teachers (Indire, 2022, pg. 38).
The evaluation and formative approaches most relevant to an active and hands-on teaching approach are the elements that have been most affected by the pandemic school system, especially due to the difficulty of implementing practical activities and student interaction at a distance.

The need for a renewal in evaluation approaches is widely recognized at a national level, and the most suitable "assessment strategies" are the fourth main concern reported by Italian teachers for their students, behind supporting their active participation, their psychological well-being and support, and the methods of differentiation and personalization of learning (Indire, 2022, pg. 29).
Since December 2020, also starting from some experiments carried out independently by schools in the field of assessment for learning, periodic and final evaluation is no longer expressed through numerical scales of synthetic judgment (grades), but through a descriptive evaluation (ref. Nigris, 2020) of a criteria-based type (Brown, 1998), in order to attribute a formative value also to documents attesting to academic performance.

The new regulations provide that the evaluation document should consider individual learning objectives related to different subjects rather than the subjects as a whole, in order to organize a detailed description of the student's achievements, highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
The evaluation of objectives is carried out using four levels of mastery, defined from as many dimensions (autonomy, known/unknown situation, activated resources, continuity).

The new regulatory framework has required schools to substantially change their methods of ongoing assessment, in favor of strengthening the formative approach (assessment for learning) and using descriptive feedback (Brookhardt, 2008) instead of traditional numerical grades.
The perspective underlying the reform is that of a culture of assessment that considers the learner as a whole, where learning goals and objectives are not just the endpoint of a process of growth in skills and awareness for lifelong learning, but a trajectory that traces and values the path taken by learners, according to the logic of "learning journey" (J. Cross, 2006) for the development of critical thinking and meta-reflection on their own learning processes.

A formative assessment (Hadij, 1992; Rivoltella, 2020) accompanies students in the development of self-regulation and enhances the sense of self-efficacy in accessing internal and external resources that the learning path provides. Above all, this perspective moves the learner and the supporting teacher towards the full recognition of consciously acted competences.

This contribution highlights the training needs, difficulties, and perceived impacts on teachers' evaluative competence who have transitioned from traditional evaluation to assessment for learning (Earl, 2003), based on a survey involving approximately 1500 schools.

Keywords:

Assessment for learning, learning outcomes, criterion references assessment, student’s motivation, evaluation culture, school system innovation.