Unlocking the potential of STEAM education: How exemplary teachers navigate assessment challenges

While integrated STEAM education has been shown to support the cultivation of critical global competencies, teachers have identified classroom assessment as a key barrier to facilitating integrated learning. This research investigated how exemplary teachers navigated classroom assessment challenges and practices within integrated STEAM education contexts. Employing an in-depth qualitative design, this study drew on data from interviews with 14 exemplary STEAM teachers and assessment artifacts (e.g., assessments, resources, lesson/unit plans). Through an inductive analysis, synergies and tensions within three overarching themes were identified: planning for assessment, formative assessment, and grading/evaluation. Teachers’ planning practice was characterized by a focus on key learning skills as well as divergent opinions regarding a backwards design approach. Central to teachers’ STEAM education practice, formative assessment was used to drive the iterative design cycle. When grading, teachers relied on their professional judgment and supported student self-advocacy. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.