Formative assessment for addressing learning gaps. An ongoing Research-Training project in Trentino

Abstract

The paper outlines the theoretical framework and describes the initial phases of implementation of the Research-Training project “Formative Assessment and the Recovery of Learning Gaps”, carried out by IPRASE in collaboration with the Interuniversity Research Center on Teacher Professionalism (CRESPI). The project, addressed to upper secondary schools in the Autonomous Province of Trento, aims to counteract students’ cumulative learning deficits through the systematic integration of formative assessment into teaching practices.

While stemming from the issue of learning gaps and the need to prevent and address cumulative deficits, the Research-Training pathway seeks to engage with the key issues underlying formative assessment. From this perspective, it promotes actions aimed at fostering a shared culture of assessment within schools, strengthening teaching strategies and learning pathways designed to enhance students’ motivation and rebuild their competences, and exploring teachers’ core beliefs and assumptions about assessment.