Abstract:

Internationally, Assessment for Learning (AfL) has been around for quite a number of years. In Malta, AfL has been introduced in schools during the scholastic year 2011-2012. If I had to just go by the date, I would say that it is an innovation. However, retrospective look at the policy reforms history reveals that if practitioners followed and walked the path with the policy recommendations, AfL should be regarded as a gradual buildup.

In my professional role of Head of Department in the primary for assessment, I supported a number of schools with the introduction, implementation and sustainability of AfL. During those years, I felt and assumed that some of the primary teachers I supported were resisting it. Such assumption evoked a reflective process on what could be the factors leading to this assumption. Following a lot of thought, I decided to leverage this reflective process to a doctoral level research focusing on the beliefs and practices interplay of AfL as a teaching and learning innovation, within the Maltese context.

During my review of the literature perspectives, I went through the most pertinent Maltese policy documents that have been the subject of discussion for over two decades. This review revealed that the philosophy of AfL, in Malta, has been around for over twenty years, yet, in practice it was not implemented. So, the question that I bring is what is happening at the practitioner level to have such a wide policy to practice implementation gap?

Supporting this claim of resistance is the current proposal by the Ministry of Education for a learning outcomes based approach which has been put on hold for the next two scholastic years. Underpinning the philosophy of a learning outcomes approach is the philosophy of AfL. Thus, unless this takes root, it will be very difficult for a learning outcomes approach to be implemented as it should be.

In this presentation, I would like to share the historical moments of this supposed to be gradual buildup, which in reality is an innovation rather than a build up?

Keywords:

Assessment for Learning, practices, policy, innovation, teaching and learning.