Evaluation on large scale, the common sense, critics and ponderations

Abstract

After the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution, there was a great movement towards the advancement of social rights in Brazil, therefore, the process of approving laws aimed at education intensified, as well as its effects. Given this, there has been a growing implementation of actions to overcome serious educational deficiencies in Brazil, among them, the search for quality indicators through large-scale evaluations. Made in several segments, the evaluations were nationally known by the general public, but are they well understood by educators? To answer this question, we raise some possible views that compose common sense in relation to evaluations, and then confront them with real data. In the sequence we analyze the visions pointed out as negative, and for each one of them we made ponderings to understand in what scope they are situated with the objective of questioning them. We conclude by emphasizing that large-scale evaluation is a matter for specialized professionals but affirming that their concepts and information should reach educators, otherwise they will not use the results to improve pedagogical practice. We also show that while we believe that the focus of large-scale assessments is correctly directed at reading and mathematics, due to the low proficiency of Brazilian students, it is also necessary to invest in teacher training so that they are qualified for the omnilateral teaching.