September 17, 2025

Mind Frames for Improving Educational Assessment

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Authors:
John Hattie, Stephen G. Sireci, and Eva L. Baker
Assessment in education has long prioritized accountability over meaningful interpretation for learning. This chapter calls for a shift toward assessment in the service of learning, emphasizing insights into student progress, learning strategies, emotions, engagement, and self-regulation rather than just achievement. To support this, educators must develop assessment-capable learners who can interpret and act on assessment results. The authors introduce 10 mind frames to enhance assessment, promoting diagnostic and predictive uses, clear success criteria, instructional alignment, and a classroom culture that embraces errors as learning opportunities. They also explore how technology and AI can make assessments more adaptive and personalized. By embedding assessment within teaching and learning, these mind frames transform it from a compliance tool into a driver of student growth and educational improvement.
Hattie, J., Sireci, S. G., & Baker, E. L. (2025). Mind frames for improving educational assessment. In E. M. Tucker, E. Armour-Thomas, & E. W. Gordon (Eds.), Handbook for assessment in the service of learning, Volume I: Foundations for assessment in the service of learning. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
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