Assessment, teaching and learning in and beyond classrooms

In this chapter, we reflect on the relationships among assessment, teaching and learning in classrooms, within the context of assessment practices beyond the classroom. In line with Graham Nuthall (this volume, chapter 1), we argue that teaching, learning and assessment are not just about individuals and cognition, but also about the activities of learning communities and the properties of those activities that children internalise. We consider links among different forms of assessment and instruction, and their implications for broader aspects of children's development, including their intellectual, relational, epistemological and moral agency. We also examine the impact of assessment practices beyond the classroom, such as high-stakes testing, on classroom activity systems.