The role of assessment in teachers' curriculum making: Insights from Norwegian history teachers

Abstract Assessment is a fundamental aspect of teaching, but how does it shape teachers' curriculum making? While research has explored the impact of competence‐ and outcome‐oriented ideas on teachers' curriculum making, less attention has been given to how these ideas manifest in teachers' assessment practices, further shaping their interpretation of curriculum guidelines. This qualitative study examines how assessment conditions teachers' curriculum making, drawing on interviews with 18 upper secondary history teachers in Norway. Findings reveal that assessment significantly shapes teachers' priorities as curriculum makers. Teachers report that their assessment practices are driven by navigating a core tension within the national curriculum (LK20): balancing between developing students' skills and capabilities (competence‐orientation), while ensuring that these are grounded in disciplinary knowledge content (content orientation). In addition, the findings highlight how the exam emerges as a dominant influence, shaping both content selection and assessment strategies throughout the school year. Teachers view the exam as a pivotal moment where disciplinary boundaries are negotiated with external examiners, intensifying the core tension in LK20. They emphasise the importance of dialogue and collaboration to align expectations and uphold assessment integrity. The study contributes to the ongoing discussion of how teachers' curriculum making is conditioned by outcome‐oriented ideas and shaped by a hybrid competence discourse.