Making sense of testing: teachers’ interpretations of accountability instruments in disadvantaged school settings

In recent decades, countries in both the global North and South have adopted data-intensive policy instruments such as performance-based accountability (PBA) to improve student learning outcomes and become more competitive in the global knowledge economy. However, existing literature shows that the adoption of such policy instruments does not always result in school improvement but can lead schools to adopt policy decoupling mechanisms or even undesirable behaviours to improve their results in standardised tests. Moreover, existing research suggests that disadvantaged low-performing schools are more likely to adopt such behaviours. However, we still have little evidence about the reasons and rationales that might lead disadvantaged schools to enact standardised test in ways that differ from their policy design. This investigation aims to understand teachers’ policy interpretation and sense-making of PBA in disadvantaged schools in Madrid (Spain) and Santiago (Chile). Following a qualitative approach, we examine the discourses of teachers working in vulnerable school settings in these two cities. The findings highlight the crucial role of school context and meaning-making processes in the enactment of datafication and PBA. Specifically, this research highlights the relevance of sense-making as a mediating factor that may influence the adoption of policy decoupling mechanisms and instrumental responses.