Formative assessment is seen as an approach that might contribute to teachers’ professional development (Porter, Youngs & Odden, 2001). Various methods for the formative assessment of teachers have been suggested, such as portfolios, self-assessments, peer assessments, etc. In most formative assessment procedures, a combination of such methods is used. However, are formative assessment procedures, such as portfolios, combined with feedback by a mentor or personal coach, indeed suitable for demonstrating a teacher’s competence development? And do formative  assessments actually support teacher professional learning and development? More research is needed to answer this question (Lustick & Sykes, 2006).

Various characteristics for formative teacher assessments have been mentioned as being important for teacher learning (e.g., Uhlenbeck et al., 2002), However, little is known about the impact of specific design principles in formative assessments on the teachers’ learning process in general and in particular, the development of their competences. Furthermore, new approaches to quality of assessments have been referred to in literature, also for formative value, i.e., making assessments supportive for learning. Examples are edumetric criteria (e.g., Dierick & Dochy, 2001) and criteria in programmes for the assessment of competence (e.g., Baartman, et al., 2007).

In this symposium, several formative assessment procedures for teachers (both pre-service and in-service) are presented. Specific attention is being paid to questions related to the extent to which formative assessment procedures are suitable for demonstrating a teacher’s competence development, the impact of formative assessment on teacher learning and the development of their competences, the quality of formative assessments, and design characteristics in formative assessments that influence teacher learning and development.

In this symposium, five papers will be presented. Katrien Struyven will present a study into the use and effects of a competence-based electronic portfolio procedure for the assessment of teacher competences during teaching practice in a Flemish academic teacher education program. Christel Verberg will present a procedure for negotiated assessment, and the impact of the procedure on teacher learning. Agaath Dekker-Groen will present a formative assessment procedure in which teachers were trained and received expert feedback, together with results about teacher learning. Luís Tinoca will present a Competence Assessment Program (CAP) for k-12 teachers framed by four dimensions for quality assessment, together with results about suitability of the CAP suitable for teacher learning, and the extent to which quality dimensions are reflected satisfactory in the assessment activities. Dineke Tigelaar will present a comparison of design characteristics in formative assessments for teachers and the impact of different configurations of design principles on teacher learning. Prof. dr. Kari Smith will discuss the papers. We welcome a discussion with the audience on the various topics raised in the symposium.