High-performing and selective school systems increasingly operate under conditions of sustained performance pressure driven by accountability demands, external assessments, and institutional expectations. Within such contexts, teachers’ assessment literacy plays a critical role in shaping instructional decision-making, yet the ways in which assessment beliefs and practices are enacted under pressure remain insufficiently understood. 

This study examines how teachers conceptualise and enact assessment literacy in a selective secondary school context characterised by strong academic performance expectations. The research addresses three questions:

(1) How do teachers understand assessment literacy in a high-performing, selective school context?
(2) What assessment practices do teachers report using under conditions of performance pressure?
(3) To what extent are teachers’ assessment beliefs and practices associated with perceived performance pressure and aggregated student achievement indicators?

The study is grounded in contemporary conceptualisations of assessment literacy that frame it as an integrated construct encompassing assessment knowledge, beliefs, and enacted classroom practices (e.g., formative and summative orientations). In addition, sociocultural and policy-oriented perspectives on assessment are used to conceptualise performance pressure as a contextual condition that mediates professional judgement rather than merely an external constraint. From this perspective, assessment literacy is understood as situated professional practice shaped by institutional expectations, accountability structures, and school-level performance cultures.

Although the empirical context is a selective school outside Europe, the study addresses issues central to European and international debates on assessment for learning, teacher professionalism, and performativity in education systems. Selective admissions, high-stakes examinations, and performance benchmarking are common features across many European contexts, making this study relevant to broader discussions of how assessment policies are interpreted and enacted at the school level.

By focusing on teachers’ beliefs, reported practices, and instructional decision-making under pressure, the study aims to contribute to international scholarship on assessment literacy by identifying patterns of alignment and misalignment between formative intentions and enacted assessment practices. The findings are expected to inform both assessment policy implementation and professional development initiatives by highlighting conditions under which assessment literacy is supported or constrained in performance-driven school environments.

The study employs a quantitative survey design involving in-service secondary teachers (Grades 7–12) working in a selective, high-performing school context. Data collection focuses on teachers’ assessment beliefs, enacted classroom assessment practices, and perceived performance pressure. A pilot dataset (N = 68) was used to verify scale reliability and refine scoring procedures prior to full-sample analysis (target N = 100). Teachers’ assessment beliefs are measured using the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment scale (TCoA). Enacted assessment practices are assessed using the Assessment Practices Inventory (API), capturing formative and summative classroom assessment behaviours. Formative assessment decision-making is further examined using scenario-based items from the Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory (ACAI). Perceived performance pressure is measured through a context-specific scale addressing institutional expectations, accountability demands, and outcome-oriented evaluation practices. Pilot reliability analysis demonstrated strong internal consistency across all major constructs, supporting the use of composite scores (TCoA: Cronbach’s α = .88, McDonald’s ω = .90; API: α = .96, ω = .97; ACAI formative decision scale: α = .89, ω = .90). Several negatively keyed scenario items were identified during pilot testing and will be reverse-coded prior to final composite construction. Data analysis will include descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (α and ω), correlation analysis, and multiple regression modelling. Regression models will examine the associations between perceived performance pressure, assessment beliefs, and enacted assessment practices, with teacher characteristics (e.g., teaching experience, subject area) included as control variables where appropriate. Aggregated student achievement indicators linked at the teacher or class level will be incorporated only where sufficient variance exists. Ethical approval was obtained in accordance with institutional guidelines. Participation is voluntary, informed consent is secured, and all data are anonymised and reported in aggregate form.

The study is expected to demonstrate that teachers in selective, performance-driven contexts generally endorse formative-oriented assessment beliefs, yet enact assessment practices that are partially shaped by institutional performance expectations. Preliminary analysis suggests that perceived performance pressure is embedded across assessment-related constructs and may influence both teachers’ conceptualisations of assessment and their instructional decision-making. It is anticipated that performance pressure will show a strong association with assessment beliefs and a more moderate association with enacted classroom practices, indicating a potential belief–practice implementation gap. This pattern would suggest that while teachers may internalise formative assessment principles, their ability to enact these principles consistently is constrained by accountability demands and outcome-oriented evaluation cultures. By empirically examining the relationships among assessment beliefs, practices, and contextual pressure, the study contributes to international discussions on assessment literacy as situated professional judgement. The findings are expected to have implications for assessment policy and teacher professional development, highlighting the need for context-sensitive approaches that support teachers in translating formative assessment principles into practice within high-pressure educational environments.

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