Test obsessed: Improving student perceptions of assessment when generating performance data

Richard Lancaster, Kellett School, Hong Kong In the aftermath of the U-turn decision regarding the use of teacher assessment for GCSE and A-level grading in August (BBC, 2020), it has since become increasingly apparent that some students are left feeling anxious about how their final grade will be decided. Some of this unease manifests through the perceived heightened stakes of every in-house assessment and its implication on teacher-assessed grading. Sadly, it seems that the culture of learning through mistakes and growth mindset risks being undone. Another issue raised concerns the validity of the data used in generating centre-assessed grades for students. This article aims to address the following questions: How do we reduce student anxiety surrounding in-house assessment? How do we develop valid summative profiles of student attainment? How do we reduce student anxiety surrounding in-house assessment? Using end-of-unit tests is a valuable way of gaining data on student