The controversy about large-scale assessments in Brazil: argumentative continuum

Abstract

This article presents a systematization and analysis of the academic debate concerning large-scale assessments in Brazil, under an argumentative continuum. The goal is to synthesize the discursive conflict within the field of assessment in elementary school in argumentative zones – unconditional support, critical support, propositive denial and categorical denial – which are the gradations of a continuum with different degrees of support and denial of large-scale assessments. From the perspective of this research, the ideological conflict between two source-discourses (or generator discourses) – economic discourse and critical discourse – have generated four political-educational placements throughout time. Methodologically, the analysis of discourses influenced by the theme was based on the notion of polyphony (BAKHTIN, 2005; MAINGUENEAU, 2002), that is, by the effort to approach simultaneously and equipollent different voices that have stated in relation to the controversy being discussed – an excerpt of a broader academic discourse circulates in the country. By showing that the debate concerning external evaluation in elementary school in the country is not strict to the mere polarization between proponents and opponents, it is believed that such argumentative continuum – built on the bases of production of national authors – constitutes (possible) syntheses to the controversy about large scale assessments in Brazil, forming an abstract miniature of a complex and heterogeneous reality of concrete discursive struggles.