Assessment of learning achievements in secondary education in the USA and Canada

Abstract

Among the global trends in the development of modern education, one of the leading positions is occupied by the assessment of secondary school students' learning achievements. The theory of educational assessment and the theory of educational quality have reached a new level in the twenty-first century, and this has been a major factor in the development of international comparative studies on the quality of education, which began in the second half of the twentieth century and is now a sustained trend. Today, the development of formative assessment of students' learning outcomes is central to the national education systems of the world's leading countries. Ukraine has also embarked on this path, stimulated by the implementation of the New Ukrainian School concept. At the same time, this process began somewhat earlier in the world's leading countries, making their experience very relevant to Ukrainian educational reforms. This article attempts to trace the trends in the development of students’ assessment systems in the USA and Canada. The focus is on formative assessment. The material presented in this paper allows us to assert the existence of clearly defined sustainable trends in the introduction of this form of assessment. These include, firstly, individualising assessment, using flexible approaches, with both traditional and innovative assessment methods, and combining them. It is also important to involve different stakeholders, including parents, in the assessment process. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies that allow students to become involved in the assessment process, which contributes to the formation of their active life position in managing their own educational path. The materials presented in the article will be useful for researchers, teachers and educational managers in the process of improving the system of assessment in Ukraine.