Strategic planning tools for large-scale technology-based assessments

Education systems are increasingly being called upon to implement new technology-based assessment systems that generate efficiencies, better meet changing stakeholder expectations, or fulfil new assessment purposes. These assessment systems require coordinated organisational effort to implement and can be expensive in time, skill and other resources. This paper explores the nexus between assessment planning and organisational strategy in the context of technology-based assessment implementation. Two planning tools, an Assessment Planning and Review Framework (the Framework) and an Assessment-Capability Matrix (the Matrix), are provided to assist organisations to manage this nexus. The Framework is a reformulation of prominent assessment design frameworks, developed for a broader, interdisciplinary audience. Its extension through the incorporation of organisational capability concerns led to the development of the Matrix. The Framework and the Matrix create an interface from principled assessment design to organisational strategy that is explored through five predominantly technology-based assessment design pathways.