Primary School Teachers' Views on Contemporary Assessment Tools

This study aims to examine primary school teachers’ existing knowledge of contemporary assessment tools, their learning needs, and the gains they achieved following a structured in-service training program. The research used a qualitative case study design. The participants consisted of 43 volunteer primary school teachers working in the Konak district of İzmir, Türkiye. Data were collected through forms based on the KWL technique (What I know, What I want to learn, What I learned) and analyzed using content analysis. The findings indicate that teachers’ initial knowledge was largely limited to performance- and product-oriented tools such as portfolios and rubrics, while their awareness of diagnostic and process-oriented assessment tools was relatively low. Teachers’ learning needs primarily focused on becoming familiar with new assessment tools, integrating them into classroom practices, and receiving guidance on their practical applicability. Following the training, a significant increase in teachers’ knowledge and awareness of tools such as structured grids, scoring rubrics, word association tests, and diagnostic branched trees was observed. The results suggest that practice-based professional development activities are effective in enhancing teachers’ assessment literacy.