Teachers' attempts to improve assessment practice in primary science are influenced by job role and teaching experience

Recent changes to assessment policy in England have brought the development of primary teachers’ assessment literacy in science to the fore. The TAPS pyramid is a tool to help teachers and schools improve their assessment practice in primary science. It has been downloaded thousands of times across 45 countries, but little was known until now about its impact upon the assessment practice of the teachers using it. This report analyses quantitative data from an online survey of 96 teachers using the TAPS pyramid to show that changes in practice vary across job role and teaching experience. These differences are explored with reference to changes in national assessment policy, but also the wider international research into developing primary teachers’ assessment literacy. Finally, an argument is made for school leaders to consider the diversity in assessment literacy present among their teachers when developing primary science assessment practice.