‘It is not a topic that should be assessed by a test’: Understanding teachers' assessment literacy in the teaching of ‘difficult histories’ such as the Holocaust

Abstract This paper explores how history teachers in secondary education in England (a) see their role as assessors and (b) how they make decisions about assessing a difficult history: learning about the Holocaust. Assessment literacy (AL) is recognised as a potentially valuable aspect of good teaching and central to supporting students' learning, enabling them to be reflective learners. This paper argues that not only is the task of choosing appropriate assessments demanding for ‘difficult histories’ such as in this instance the Holocaust, but there are inherent tensions relating to the idea of assessing such learning at all. Using data from a national survey with secondary history teachers, we were able to explore practice and beliefs about the nature of assessing learning about the Holocaust, and these responses suggested some characteristics of teachers' AL. We found that ‘traditional’ forms of assessment still predominate, but that the subject matter in Holocaust education opens a space for more ‘non‐traditional’ approaches that are not normally so apparent, in particular discursive and creative forms. Teachers demonstrate a significant amount of uncertainty, ambiguity and anxiety over what appropriate assessment might look like, and for some, whether topics such as the Holocaust should be assessed at all. Assessment plays a vital role in supporting effective students’ learning, and our findings suggest there is a need for further research into teachers' AL and how their practice might be better supported in the teaching and assessing of ‘difficult histories’.