Transforming education: embracing holistic assessment for future success

Hannah Gettel, Director of Studies at the International School of Monaco, on the importance of adapting student assessments to align with today’s evolving curriculum content and technology.

The global job market has undergone unprecedented changes over the last 20 years. Gone are the days when academic knowledge alone could secure a student a fantastic university place, kick-starting a successful career. Today, we need to challenge our students to do more than just accumulate knowledge. Unfortunately, many educational institutions continue to rely heavily on external examination systems that primarily assess knowledge acquisition. These systems, entrenched in tradition, often fail to adequately measure crucial skills such as analytical thinking, creative problem-solving, resilience and adaptability. As the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2023 report highlights, these skills are increasingly essential for success in the modern workplace. 

So, how do schools genuinely develop skills like analytical thinking, creative thinking, resilience and flexibility in a meaningful way? We need to start by closely examining our curriculum and the examination structures that schools rely on. For those schools that find themselves bound by outdated systems that prioritise rote memorisation over critical thinking and innovation, this raises a fundamental question: are these systems truly the best, or do they persist out of convenience and inertia? 

The International School of Monaco is in the process of transitioning from an iGCSE examination structure to the IB MYP curriculum, incorporating the MYP e-assessment as the external examination at age 16. As we strive to achieve our vision of International Education with Distinction, we regularly reflect on our curriculum, teaching and learning practices, and assessment procedures. Following a two-year curriculum review, our whole school community decided to become an IB world continuum school, adding PYP and MYP to our existing DP and CP programmes. We firmly believe that the comprehensive assessment tools within the PYP, MYP, DP, and CP best prepare students for future success. 

Students who follow these programmes possess excellent subject knowledge and are confident inquirers and communicators. They are open-minded, risk-takers, and possess the flexibility and resilience to face challenges when knowledge alone is insufficient. 

No educator should underestimate the value of knowledge. Without a solid knowledge base, effective application, analysis, evaluation and reflection become impossible. The IB’s whole school curricula provide a structure for assessing students’ ability to adapt to unfamiliar challenges, supporting creative thinking and adaptability unlike any other curriculum available. The key difference is that students are assessed not only on what they know but also on what they can do with that knowledge.

Parents who have seen their children graduate from the IB Diploma programme understand how rigorous and challenging this pre-university curriculum is, and how crucial knowledge is in the final exams. The level of subject diversity students must maintain is, arguably, unsurpassed by any other post-16 programme. Educators within the IB Diploma programme also recognise that students from an MYP background are better prepared for the challenges ahead. This is because they are trained from an early age to think critically, ask insightful questions, reflect on their actions, and understand the relevance of their learning to the world around them. A study commissioned by the IB research department and undertaken by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) found that students who had studied the MYP programme scored on average 2.17 points higher in their DP exams than peers who had joined the DP programme having studied other curricula. 

Schools and governments around the world are beginning to recognise the need for change. The UK government announced in November last year that it would overhaul the traditional UK A-Level system in favour of a broader baccalaureate approach. Whether this change will involve merely a broader range of subjects or a broader style of assessment remains to be seen.

As more schools move away from traditional knowledge-based tests toward holistic assessments that evaluate what students can do as well as what they know, we will also see a shift toward electronic, onscreen examinations. Both exam boards and schools acknowledge that the system of physical exam papers, posted to schools and returned by exam officers, is no longer sustainable given the rising environmental impact of global shipping. 

Electronic assessments offer students the opportunity to interact with different types of media and restructure their written responses as their creative process evolves. Electronic assessments also provide both exam boards and schools with the reassurance of exam security, with all data encrypted until the testing window begins. This helps to ensure that students are being fairly measured against their global peers as issues of exam malpractice would be reduced.

Despite the clear benefits of transitioning to holistic assessment practices, implementing such changes is not without its challenges. It requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders – teachers, students, parents and school leaders – to navigate the complexities of change management successfully. Resistance to change, concerns about unfamiliar assessment methods, and logistical hurdles are all legitimate obstacles that must be addressed. 

However, the potential rewards of embracing holistic assessment far outweigh the temporary discomforts of transition. By empowering students with the skills they need to thrive in the future workforce, educational institutions are fulfilling their broader mission of preparing global citizens capable of tackling the challenges of tomorrow.

This article first appeared in the 2024/25 edition of John Catt's Guide to International Schools, which you can read here: