Teachers' Use of Competency-based Assessment in Personalised Learning Practices: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The impact of competencies within the framework of the new learning ecology has generated a qualitative leap in the quality of educational practices. Currently, we have appropriated different personalised pedagogical approaches and innovative methodologies that promote the acquisition and use of competencies, but how do we assess them? Their assessment is not sufficiently clear since there is no consensus on what competencies, competency-based learning, competency-based assessment, among others, mean, which in practice presents difficulties and concerns for teachers. This qualitative exploratory study has two objectives: i) to propose a model to analyse competency-based assessment in personalised learning practices and (ii) to illustrate its application to two practices in secondary education. The results show differences in the complexity of competency-based assessment practices, in the degree of relevance of the proposed assessment contexts, and in learners' participation in the feedback process. It is concluded that the model is a potentially helpful tool to understand and optimise competency-based assessment in personalised learning practices. Recommendations are formulated so that teachers can promote effective assessment practices from a competency perspective.