Recent handbooks and comprehensive research on teacher education (Cochran-Smith, Fieman-Nemser, & McIntyre, 2008; Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005; Darling-Hammond, 1997; Mayer, Luke & Luke, 2008) and others seeking to transform teacher preparation (Zimpher & Jones, 2011) raise important questions about the quality of teacher education, its impact and design, and assessment.  This study responds to recent research regarding the assessment (Peterman, 2008), pedagogical practices (Carrol, Featherstone, et al., 2007 and systemic structures (Rust, 2010) of teacher preparation and assessment (Johnson, 2005; Cochran-Smith, 2005). 

Little is known the ways in which teacher education constituents design and use meaningful assessment systems to continuously improve their practices.   More over, despite the engagement of many of the world’s teacher education institutions in efforts to assess teacher quality and the impact of their programs, very little research regarding the change process in which institutions design and engage in assessment practices has been written.   Most of the research on assessment and change focuses generally on higher education (Roberts & Borden, 2005: Gipps, 1994) and library science (Lakos & Phipps, 2004)–not in teacher education.

As Sarason (1996) recognized, change is difficult, changing the culture of school is challenging and—perhaps, impossible; using Sarason's notion of creating settings as a framework for changing the culture (Sarason, 1974), we endeavor to explore creating a culture of assessment in teacher education is an important field of research. As a foundation for the  research, we developed narrative (Clandindin, 2000, 2007) that   present a grounded theoretical framework for a culture of assessment (Gipps, 1994, Lakos & Phipps, 2005). 

As our teacher education program engaged in re-designing and using an assessment system to collect analyze and use data to: (a) ensure our graduates attain the knowledge and skills to help all students learn and (b) engage in continuous improvement by using data that is systematically collected and analyzed, we determined to change the culture of our teacher education institution. When we began to re-design an existing assessment system, most faculty and staff members’ responses to “Why all of this assessment?” focused on the technical aspects of assessment—scores onto rubrics, reports, or bureaucratic accountability mandates.  Their responses rarely indicated we had a culture of assessment engaged in reflection and continuous improvement, wherein administrators, faculty, staff, and students engage in gathering and using the results of ongoing assessment to improve our practice. The purpose of this research is to: (a) define the dimensions of a culture of assessment from multiple perspectives; (b) explore the ways in which faculty, staff, and administrators design and use an assessment system; and  (c) document the lived experience of professionals engaged in dancing along the tightrope of accountability efforts and professional reflection to improve practice.

Through our research we carefully examine our “lived experience” of creating a culture of assessment and address the following questions:

1.   What are individual professionals' experiences in creating a culture of assessment?

2.   What are the dimensions of a culture of assessment?

3.   What are the conditions that support the development of a culture of assessment?

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