Cognitive Education and Innovative Assessment in Primary School: Aligning Inclusion, Learning Progressions, and Romania’s OECD–PISA Challenges

Assessment practices in Romanian primary education remain largely recall-based, despite curriculum expectations that prioritize reasoning, metacognition, and inclusive learning processes. This conceptual–analytical study examines the structural misalignments between curriculum goals, classroom assessment cultures, and national evaluation systems, highlighting their impact on learning equity and cognitive development. Drawing on international frameworks (OECD, UNESCO), national assessment data, and Romanian pedagogical literature, the analysis identifies three systemic gaps: curriculum–assessment misalignment, assessment–instruction misalignment, and a mismatch between equity-oriented policies and classroom practice. To address these challenges, the article proposes the ECEI Framework, an integrated developmental model that combines principles of cognitive education, metacognitive strategy development, inclusive pedagogy, and formative assessment. The framework introduces four categories of indicators—cognitive, metacognitive, inclusive, and assessment—designed to support teachers in observing and evaluating learning processes more effectively in diverse classrooms. Discipline-based illustrations in mathematics, reading, and science demonstrate how innovative assessment practices can make students’ thinking visible through authentic tasks, learning progressions, and multimodal response pathways. The findings suggest that developmental and inclusive assessment is essential for improving learning outcomes and reducing socio-economic disparities in primary education. Implementing the ECEI Framework requires targeted teacher training, coherent curriculum–assessment alignment, and system-level support to ensure sustainable changes in instructional practice.