PAR for the Empowerment of Teacher Assessment Literacy

The focus of my article is the use of participatory action research to develop assessment literacy among teachers. The article shows a recent case study of PAR that involved sixty-six teachers of an Italian region to became awareness observers of the processes on evaluation and strategic planning developed by all the schools of the interested region. The aim of the decision maker was to take a snapshot of the region and to train some teachers to be aware on school evaluation and planning. In Italy the culture of assessment and evaluation is progressively developing starting from some considerations: firstly, the development of international standardized tests as well as PISA testing; second, the presence for more than ten years of the standardized testing to assess the Italian students achievement; third, the fact that since the 2015 year the internal and external evaluation of schools has been systematically implemented. Into this framework it’s relevant for teachers be more aware and involved so that being able to use appropriately evaluative both tools and language and to be supported by experts are required aspects. The article deepens a case study of participatory action research done to improve teachers’ assessment literacy. The assumption is that for a successful training course with teachers it’s more useful the active engagement as well as using action-research than direct instruction strategies. Results show that action research is an important training tool for teachers that allow them to empower the assessment literacy, from the fulfilment of evaluation actions to the development of aware evaluation practices, developing the culture of evaluation; increasing sensitivity towards the use of results retrieved from national and international standardized testing for effective internal and self- school evaluation.