Lesson Study as a Tool for Improving Teachers’ Transformative Assessment Practices

Transformative assessment is a strategic approach to assessment that helps teachers use assessment not only for accountability, but also to promote meaningful learning. It enhances instruction and shifts the assessment orientation from summative to formative and summative. This study examined the impact of the Lesson Study for Transformative Assessment (LSforTA) professional development program on teachers’ classroom assessment practices. The researchers used pre- and post-surveys along with interviews to assess how LSforTA changed the practices of 11 mathematics teachers at two secondary schools. Pre-intervention levels were examined and then compared with post-intervention scores using the Wilcoxon Signed-rank Test. Interview data were analyzed thematically and assisted by concept-evidence tables to organize and sort data. It was found that LSforTA had a positive impact on teachers’ assessment practices, leading to increased student engagement and improved teachers’ uses and skills in using transformative assessment methods. This positive impact included changes in the way they designed and implemented classroom assessment and a move away from traditional assessment practices. Other changes were related to the so-called equity in classroom assessment practices, a crucial element of the LSforTA program. Teachers also perceived that students’ attitude toward mathematics learning and their academic honesty had changed positively. The results suggest that the LSforTA program was effective in helping teachers change their classroom assessment practices, which in turn had a positive impact on student learning. Additionally, the program was successful in creating a more equitable learning environment for all students.