Assessment Leadership in the International School

Lisbon
24 - 30 June 2025

Online
14 - 20 June 2025

Hear what our participants have to say about the course: Pana Asavavatana, Brianne Sheets, John J North, Nancy Jenkins, Joe Lumsden

Listen to Lauren Mehrbach answer the question: “Why should you take this course?”

Wide-ranging research suggests that effective assessment practices can dramatically improve student learning. A comprehensive assessment process, which outlines policies and practices for determining the extent of student learning as well as promoting it, is an essential component of an effective school and one which many international schools are lacking. How will such a powerful process come to be? It takes bold, courageous school leaders with the highest levels of assessment literacy and the leadership skills to design, implement and monitor with rigor.

What will you learn?

How do school leaders:

  • Establish a shared, practical definition of ‘assessment’, its ultimate purposes and it relationship to curriculum?

  • Design an effective and sustainable school-wide assessment plan that supports maximum student learning?

  • Establish practices that incorporate the ongoing extensive research on assessment?

  • Ensure every teacher is aware of and required to implement those assessment practices that are acknowledged to have significant impact on learning?

  • Establish the boundaries of teacher autonomy and institutional responsibility?

  • Lead each of the the four major categories of assessment in international schools, including both internal and external systems?

  • Confront the assessment practices that are harmful to learning and explore how to lead the school away from these practices?

  • Apply principles of social justice and anti-racism across all facets of assessment leadership?

  • Establish practices addressing the most controversial assessment practices in international schools, such as grading? competency-based curriculum and multiple post-secondary pathways?  

  • Use an evidence-based approach to uncover ‘root cause’ for why learning is or is not happening?

  • Redesign assessment practices on a broad scale to harness the power of artificial intelligence?

  • Apply all of the above in a variety of learning contexts, including hybrid and online learning environments?

What do school leaders need to know about:

  • The growing body of research on how assessment of all types impacts learning?

  • Why international schools may seem resistant to modifying practices to reflect new understandings about assessment?

  • How current school’ staffing and organizational plans may be supporting or not maximizing the role of assessment in learning?

The curriculum for all PTC courses is rooted in the ‘Standards of Practice for International School Principals’ and created using our design principles.