“To date, there has been limited use of monitoring tools to assess the quality of ESD programmes, the extent of their implementation, and the ESD learning outcomes they generate. Monitoring and evaluation must be improved to secure the evidence for continued and expanded investment in ESD, and for reflexive engagement with ESD as an emerging educational reorientation process.” (UNESCO 2014: 32)

In many countries there is a call for climbing the rankings and excelling in mathematics, science and languages (cf. the Pisa rankings). This often leads to a focus on the testing of ‘universal’ knowledge. At the same time schools – in their own context – need to pay attention to sustainability, environment, health, citizenship, arts and humanities while preparing learners for a rapidly changing world and workplace. These claims seem to be competing with one another. How can environmental and sustainability education navigate this force field? Are there alternative ways of assessing learners that provide more space for meaningful learning around real/authentic issues?

While in environmental and sustainability education, there is a broad debate about intended learning outcomes – e. g. in terms of knowledge, competencies, skill, attitudes, values, worldviews etc. – and about which teaching and learning approaches help students develop those learning outcomes, there is still only very limited research on assessing the learning outcomes. Do learners really develop the competencies or skills we want them to develop? Are teaching and learning approaches really effective? There is still much research to be done to operationalise learning outcomes, such as competencies, and to develop instruments for assessing and monitoring learning processes (cf. Adomßent et al. 2014; Barth / Rieckmann, 2016; Wiek et al., 2016).

There are at least two main reasons why we should pay attention to the assessment of learning outcomes: 1. The assessment of the learning outcomes is crucial to be able to compare different learning approaches and learning units and to evaluate their effects on the learners, 2. For analysing individual education requirements and identifying useful further educational approaches – both aiming at the development of sustainability competencies and skills – a comprehensive analysis of the existing capacities of the learners is needed (Barth 2009).

In this symposium the focus is on assessing environmental and sustainability education – including topics such as general reflections on assessment and measurement, assessment and measurement in school education, as well as assessment and measurement in higher education. This symposium explores a range of issues related to the assessment of environmental and sustainability education. Contributors will explore questions including:

• What is the relationship between the UN’s measures to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the OECD’s measures to assist the development of education policy through PISA?
• What obstacles are present when teachers assess student’s individual achievements in school education?
• How can learning outcomes of a three week sustainability project – the Lifestyle Project – be assessed in Initial Teacher Education?
• How can sustainability competencies, such as anticipatory competence, be assessed in higher education?

These questions will be explored in different international contexts through this symposium which offers a clear contribution to our understanding of opportunities and limitations of assessment in environmental and sustainability education as well as adequate methods and instruments for assessing learning outcomes. With contributors from Germany, Norway and Sweden, the symposium offers an overview of key issues in the field, a critical reflection, as well as identifying gaps in knowledge to focus future research.

Adomßent, M. / Fischer, D. / Godemann, J. / Herzig, C. / Otte, I. / Rieckmann, M. / Timm, J. (2014): Emerging areas in research on higher education for sustainable development – management education, sustainable consumption and perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe, in: Journal of Cleaner Production 62: 1-7 Barth, M. (2009): Assessment of Key Competencies - A Conceptual Framework, in: Adomssent, M. / Beringer, A. / Barth, M. (eds.): World in Transition: Sustainability Perspectives for Higher Education, Bad Homburg, pp. 85-93 Barth, M. / Rieckmann, M. (2016): State of the Art in Research on Higher Education for Sustainable Development, in: Barth, M./Michelsen, G./Thomas, I./Rieckmann, M. (eds.): Routledge Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development, London, pp. 100-113 Wiek, A./Bernstein, M. J./Foley, R. W./Cohen, M./Forrest, N./Kuzdas, C./Kay, B./Withycombe Keeler, L. (2016): Operationalising competencies in higher education for sustainable development, in: Barth, M./Michelsen, G./Thomas, I./Rieckmann, M. (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development, London, pp. 241-260 UNESCO (2014): Shaping the Future We Want. UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). Final Report. Online at: https://www.bibb.de/dokumente/pdf/a33_un_decade_final_report_2014_230171e.pdf (assessed 15 January 2016)