The Role of Teachers in Teacher Assessment in England 1996–1998

In this article the role of teachers in Teacher Assessment in England is explored. Teacher Assessments consist of professional judgements made at ages 7,11 and 14 against the criteria of an eight-level scale, based on teachers’ ongoing teaching rather than by testing. These judgements are set alongside test results and have equal weight in reporting National assessment results, so they play a significant part in measuring standards. Through research projects carried out from 1996 to 1998, the authors analyse how teachers make Teacher Assessment judgements, how consistent these judgements are, and the extent to which consistency can be achieved. This is contextualised within the framework of international findings about related issues, where parallel systems exist.