Teachers' assessment literacy and washback effect of assessment

Abstract

Assessment literacy, as a term, is not well known in the educational field. This is unfortunate because teachers’ assessment knowledge and competence can have an important influence on the way they teach and the way their students learn. The relationship between the degree of assessment literacy a teacher has and the washback of this type of assessment is not clearly identified, especially in higher education context. In view of this gap, this article attempts to examine important assessment literacy issues in relation to student learning: definition and importance of assessment literacy, assessment in higher education and assessment practices through reviewing related studies. The review pinpoints the harmful effects of being assessment illiterate for both teachers and students.