Teacher involvement in high-stakes testing

Abstract

This paper explores the premise that teachers’ involvement in high- stakes testing is desirable because the resulting test is a product of their knowledge of the learning context, the student cohort, and the subject content. Such involvement is indicative of an increased sense of trust in teachers’ judgements. By means of a case study approach, this paper discusses the process of developing a public examination from the authors’ combined perspectives as researchers and teachers whose assessment literacy was enhanced because they were privileged to be involved at every stage. This paper outlines the challenges faced and elaborates on the lessons learned from their prolonged involvement. It evaluates the implications of teachers’ involvement in high- stakes testing and seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the benefits that may arise when teachers are invited to play an instrumental role in the design and implementation of such examinations.