Assessment for Learning: Conceptualisation and Implementation among High School Teachers in Saudi Arabia

The use of assessment for learning as a philosophical framework for assessment reforms in many educational institutions gained significant prominence in the last two decades due to its strong theoretical and empirical support. However, reports showed it has not gained significant traction in terms of influencing and changing teachers’ practices due to many factors. This paper intends to explore the issues associated with its implementation in Saudi context. A survey was implemented with 30 high school teachers and a follow up interview of three teachers was conducted. Results showed that teachers have high understanding of AfL concepts but their assessment knowledge is not translated to their actual assessment practices. Their practices remain to be summative in nature due to some factors that prevent them from applying effective AfL strategies. These results have significant implications for developing professional development programs that will support teachers to operationalise their assessment knowledge into actual practice and for articulating policies that will provide enabling mechanisms for teachers to implement AfL strategies