Assessment Met-befores

This article is based on a study that explored pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) perceptions of assessment as a result of their participation in a foundations course in a teacher education program, in which assessment was taken up as a partnership. Upon completion of the course, PSTs responded to the question: What was your experience of assessment as a partnership? Using McGowen and Tall’s (2010) concept of a “met-before” (a learner’s mental structure as a result of previous learning experiences), responses were identified that evidenced assessment met-befores. Thematic analysis revealed three categories of met-befores: (a) assessment within systems of telling and compliance, (b) self-assessments do not count, and (c) grades determined through events. These categories and their influences on students’ sense-making of their role in assessment partnerships are discussed. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for teacher educators and professors in higher education to consider the role met-befores play in student learning and the potential for developing future supportive assessment met-befores with students.