Adaptive and inclusive assessment: Practices to support all learning

This course equips teachers to design assessments that support learning for all pupils while maintaining high expectations. Drawing on research into formative assessment, adaptive teaching and inclusive pedagogy, the course explores how thoughtful assessment design can remove barriers, strengthen understanding and guide responsive teaching. Participants will examine how assessment can move beyond measuring performance to generating meaningful evidence about learning. The course explores how clear learning intentions, aligned success criteria and carefully designed assessment tasks allow teachers to interpret pupil thinking and respond effectively during teaching. Teachers will learn how adaptive and inclusive approaches help ensure that assessment reflects what pupils know and can do, rather than the barriers they encounter. Key themes include: - Aligning curriculum intent, learning intentions and assessment evidence - Applying the principles of purpose, validity, reliability, value and equity of access - Designing assessment tasks that remove unnecessary barriers while maintaining challenge - Using formative assessment to gather evidence that informs adaptive teaching - Supporting learner agency through feedback, self-assessment and reflection Course outcome: Teachers will gain practical, evidence-informed strategies to design and use assessment as a tool for learning, enabling them to respond to pupil understanding, maintain ambitious expectations and create fairer opportunities for all learners to demonstrate their thinking.