Assessment for Learning in Teacher Education Programs: Navigating the Juxtaposition of Theory and Praxis

This paper examines the challenges associated with promoting and modeling assessment for learning within initial teacher education programs. Based on their experiences teaching in a variety of higher education institutions within Canada and the United States and on a critical synthesis of literature, the authors identify three broad constraints that contribute to the current theory-praxis divide. Specifically, the article outlines temporal, programmatic, and institutional constraints that typically undermine the spirit of assessment for learning within initial teacher preparation programs. After documenting these constraints, the paper concludes with a research agenda for aimed at promoting more effective integration of assessment for learning in teacher education programs.