A future of assessment without testing

Abstract

As with most aspects of life, assessment practices have been challenged by the events of 2020. The combination of the consequences of COVID-19 restrictions and the increased awareness and reckoning with systemic racism requires the field to take a hard look at our assessment systems. The main function of assessment is to gather evidence by which one makes inferences about what people know and can do. Over the past decade, our digital capabilities have increased exponentially and offer the potential to approach assessment differently. We now have digital learning environments that capture the actions of students as they engage in learning activities. It is possible to consider using this information as evidence such that assessment does not have to be a one-time event and we can have assessment without tests. There are some promising inroads in this direction, but also some lingering challenges remain.