Assessment literacy development: identifying gaps in teacher candidates’ learning

As a result of the standards‐based movement in education there is an increased need for teacher competency in the area of student assessment and evaluation. This study examines assessment education at one pre‐service teacher education program in Ontario, Canada. Through a questionnaire administered to 288 teacher candidates, this study identified teacher candidates’ perceived confidence levels in assessment practice, theory, and philosophy. These teacher candidates also provided their views towards assessment topics that it is important to include in a pre‐service educational assessment course. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and analysis of variance were used to analyse questionnaire responses. In general, findings support the need for direct instruction in assessment with specific topics identified (e.g. reporting achievement, modifying assessments, developing constructed‐response items, item reliability, validity, articulating a philosophy of assessment, etc.) as important to developing teacher assessment literacy.