Evaluation Capacity Building of Teachers: Empowering Pre-service Primary Mathematics Teachers to Formatively Assess Multi-level Learners

This study contributes to the ever evolving literature of evaluation capacity building (ECB) in the context of pre-service teacher education.  STEM under-graduates were the specific focus of the study. The current status of evaluation in schools in most developing countries, especially in India, is described followed by delineating the status of ECB in pre-service teacher education programs. It is argued here that teacher education programs often ignore the professional needs of educational evaluators which adversely influence the learning outcomes of students taught by teachers having impoverished evaluation competencies. An overview of ECB work undertaken recently in a pre-service teacher education program, focused on formative assessment of multi-level learners using the principles of differentiation and progression,  with primary grades mathematics teachers is presented. A model of ECB that may be used for designing and implementing capacity building activities and processes as well as for conducting empirical research on this topic is delineated. This study provides clear guidance to stakeholders regarding the execution of the model who acknowledge the importance of developing evaluative thinking in pre-service teachers but struggle to make it happen in their contexts.