Assessment without numerical grades: tools for and reflection on an alternative method in mathematics for lower secondary school

Abstract

This article traces the steps taken to design and evaluate an innovative assessment method which does not use a 1-10 grading scale. The research was conducted in a lower secondary school in Rimini over a two-year period. First, the main components of assessment are outlined, followed by a description of some assessment tools used during the first year of research, aimed at enhancing the formative function of assessment. It is then explained how data that was collected during the first year led to some modifications of the strategies adopted in the second year. A quantitative analysis is then carried out on the basis of two questionnaires completed by the students, one at the beginning and one at the end of the school year. Finally, conclusions are drawn about student and teacher perception, in order to inform a reflection for the coming years.