Growth in assessment practices: Teacher experiences with summative assessment when working with grades 7 to 9 students using one-to-one iPads

This study examines the summative-assessment practices used for a one-to-one programme where all teachers and students in grades 7 to 9 across an entire district were provided with iPads. Data were gathered from 61 teachers who participated in a blended-learning case study. This article addresses how the presence of one-to-one technology, in the form of iPads, shapes summative-assessment practices. Key themes relate to the technology itself, enhanced communication, and the broad and variable assessment practices themselves. A need for ongoing support for educators and for the possible roles that students can play are both identified. The crucial findings are that effective summative assessment using technology is believed to be of value for student learning when combined with more traditional forms of assessment. We speculate that technology may be a catalyst for rethinking assessment practices and offer considerations for future research.