How to assess students without discouraging them, in a context of high evaluative stress?

Attempt to put it into practice

Abstract

Assessment and grades can seem very threatening to the students, triggering fears or deviant behavior. This is especially true when the stakes of these assessments are high for the continuation of their school life. In the context of an abroad French school where final year students are particularly under assessment pressure, the author thought to implement assessment practices based on the literature to avoid any possible deviations. These practices, which are based on grades, offer students the opportunity to reinvest a vision of assessment for learning. These practices are described in the article. They are then commented on by the students themselves, whose answers, collected through a questionnaire, were analysed to bring out their feelings about the assessments they had tried out.