Analysis and Review of Innovations in Assessment (ARIA)

For almost two decades, assessment in UK schools has been a constant and sometimes controversial issue. Through significant changes, assessment systems in the UK have moved predominantly towards measuring learning to the detriment of improving learning. At least fifteen major projects across the UK have contributed to new insights into the role of teachers in supporting learning through assessment.

Individually, the specific findings of such projects have the potential to influence policy and practice on a scale wider than their own context. However, wider implementation of assessment reform is hindered by the lack of a coherent synthesis of all the recent work and its implementations. The aim of this project was to conduct and disseminate this synthesis, to assist policy makers and practitioners in maximizing the coherence and effectiveness of assessment reforms in their respective contexts across the UK.