Abstract
This longitudinal multiple-case study investigates the development of formative assessment among five Czech pre-service primary mathematics teachers across university preparation and their first year of teaching after graduation. Using repeated interviews, lesson plan analysis, and video observations, the study examines how novices’ understanding and classroom enactment of a five-strategy formative assessment (FA) framework develop over time. Findings indicate that while initial teacher education successfully initiates a conceptual shift toward process-oriented assessment, classroom enactment remains highly uneven. Practices supporting discussion and peer learning were most visible, while structured routines for eliciting evidence strengthened over time but remained uneven; explicit work with learning goals, success criteria, and criteria-linked feedback remained weak across phases. Key facilitators included collegial and leadership support, observation of concrete practices, and structured reflection; major constraints included time pressure, grading demands, parental expectations, and the demands of interpreting pupils’ mathematical thinking in real time.
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