Introduction

As I write this chapter, I am aware that there is a major unresolved tension in my thinking about assessment and education. On the one hand, I believe that school league tables have shown up what I called in Chapter One a manifestly severe injustice. An injustice exemplified by the fact that in England in 2011, almost twice as many young people from middle-class homes achieved five good GCSEs (including English and mathematics) than those students from families that were eligible for free school meals (62% compared with 34%). School league tables reveal the existence of schools in which the life chances of the vast majority of their students are severely limited because of their lack of qualifications. They reveal the existence of schools in which the vast majority of students are never likely to have the opportunity to study in higher education.

On the other hand, I also believe that the high-stakes assessment system inhibits the innovation that should be at the heart of improving an educational system. The high-stakes assessment system inhibits innovation related to teaching for engagement with knowledge, innovation related to learning with digital technologies and innovation related to assessment. In this respect it seems to me that the high-stakes assessment system is holding schools back from providing an education that enables young people both to flourish as human beings and to participate in society.

This chapter attempts to unpick this tension in order to investigate whether there are irresolvable contradictions in the system, or whether there could be more constructive ways of moving forward. Suggestions will be made for assessment systems that harness the potential of digital technologies as tools for both constructing knowledge and developing the capabilities for actively participating in society. I will return again to the idea of person-plus in order to suggest that schools should support young people to use both technological and human resources when faced with complex learning situations. I will argue for the importance of teachers continuously seeking feedback about students’ learning, and suggest that this is the most important form of assessment in terms of challenging low expectations and enhancing student learning and attainment.

Accountability and challenging low expectations

School inspections and publicly available performance data have shown that some schools are able to succeed against the odds, succeed despite the fact that they serve some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country.