Criterion-referenced approaches to primary school assessment

Abstract

The article describes the main features of Ministerial Order no. 172 of December 2020, which introduced new ways of expressing interim and final assessments in Italian primary school and replaced ratings on a 10 point scale with descriptive evaluations. The criterion-referenced approach underlying this innovation is highlighted, explaining the theoretical framework and discussing possible implications for teaching. This requires teachers to implement conscious planning not only of teaching activities but also and above all the different aspects of assessment activities.