Abstract:

As part of a broader culture of teaching and learning, the school assessment culture is not yet sufficiently described in terms of its importance, components, and educational effects. In today's rapidly evolving digital learning environment, school assessment or diagnostics possibilities are also beginning to change. They consist of computer testing, adaptive testing with elements of artificial intelligence, self-diagnosis of learning prerequisites, learning styles, professional orientation or levels of several key competencies. These and other possibilities of using school assessment and diagnostics tools in a digital environment raise many questions about their productivity, usability, and the ethics of using them effectively. The first part of the paper offers a specification of the construct of a school assessment culture in the current educational paradigm based on the analysis of relevant sources. School assessment culture is a set of opinions, value preferences and skills of its actors; it is a recognition of the legitimacy of its processes and a way of using or creating relevant standards. The actors' views may relate to the assessment functions, its typology according to many criteria and the roles of teachers and students in this process. Value preferences mainly include accepting suitable assessment parameters (objectivity, validity, fairness, objectivity, reliability, homomorphism), evaluation principles, or evaluation practices. The skills assessment and diagnostic skills are specified by the diagnostic-evaluation competence of the teacher and the ability of self-assessment or peer assessment by the students themselves. The legitimacy of the processes stems from the recognized roles of teachers and students in the teaching and learning processes and legal norms, which are usually specified by school standards and implemented with varying degrees of respect. The second part of the study analyses the changes in school assessment culture in its critical components in the reality of the dynamically evolving use of digital technologies based on research studies and reflections on best practices. Based on both parts, the construct "culture of school assessment in the digital learning environment" is newly reformulated, and its contribution to the evaluation processes is outlined. Finally, the study concludes with proposals for changes in the undergraduate training of future teachers in courses focused on educational assessment respectively, educational diagnostics.

Keywords:

School assessment culture, digital teaching and learning environment, assessment principles, assessment competencies of teachers, ethics of assessment, legitimacy of assessment.