Learning to assess: Exploring Changes to Pre-Service Teachers' Criteria for a Quadratics Task

This study sought insights into the process of pre-service teachers (PSTs) learning to assess student learning through designing and then refining assessment criteria for a quadratics task using student example responses. Sixty PSTs attempted the task individually, then worked in pairs to develop initial assessment criteria, analyse a selection of student responses, and revise their criteria. The data analysis examined variations in the pre-service teachers’ own use of and attention to quadratic features and mathematical language as assessment criteria for this task throughout the activity. This paper discusses evidence suggesting that collaborative analysis of example student task responses can make certain, but not all, assessment criteria salient to PSTs