A avaliação formativa na perspectiva de docentes da educação básica do município de Rio Verde- Goiás: avanços e contradições

Abstract

This research, developed within the scope of the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) in the research line “Educational Knowledge and Practices”, investigates the conceptions and practices of assessment of learning of basic education teachers in the municipal education network of Rio Verde, Goiás (GO), Brazil. The predominant assessment culture in the school context has manifested itself in a classificatory, mechanical and selective way, in which the test, in most cases, represents the only means of certifying knowledge. In contrast to this form of assessment, we defend assessment practices that prioritize the improvement of ongoing learning and are committed to plurality, inclusion, respect for differences and collective construction. To this end, we developed a qualitative study of a descriptive, interpretative and reflective nature, combined with a quantitative analysis, with the objective of understanding the assessment conceptions and practices of teachers in the public education sphere, to identify the most used theoretical and methodological references and to analyze to what extent the practices approach or distance themselves from formative assessment. Regarding the methodological aspects, the study was conducted based on questionnaires, focus groups and classroom observations, with the involvement of 207 teachers. In the data analysis, we based ourselves on Historical-Dialectical Materialism (HDM), according to the ideas of Marx (2013), which allowed us to understand the real movement of the object and decipher the concrete reality in the multiple determinations, in line with the micro and macrosocial aspects that mark the study on the assessment of learning. The results of the research indicate the coexistence of traditional assessment practices aimed only at verifying what was learned by the student with the measurement of results, which reflects an exclusionary, selective and authoritarian character intertwined with formative assessment exercises in which educators believe that the act of assessment should be continuous to monitor and guide the development of students throughout the assessment process, with the opening of space for reflective and student-centered practices. Although it is possible to perceive principles similar to formative assessment, the traditional assessment concept predominates in the school context of the municipal schools of Rio Verde (GO). The possible reasons for the non-implementation of an assessment practice with formative principles in the context studied are related to the barriers encountered by teachers in putting it into practice, such as pressure for immediate results and focus on external assessments, such as the Prova Brasil, the Rio Verde Educational Assessment System (SAERV) and the Goiás State Educational Assessment System (SAEGO); insufficient continuing education regarding the needs of teachers and students; standardized curriculum that limits the personalization of teaching; lack of autonomy of teachers to innovate assessment practices; and preparation for standardized tests to the detriment of rich and meaningful learning. We defend the thesis that formative assessment can transform the assessment culture by prioritizing inclusion and participation and assuming the primary function of monitoring and promoting student learning, by committing to changes in (and of) basic education schools.