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The credit system and the summative assessment splitting moment

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Abstract

By using Shlomo Vinner’s credit system concept, we show that summative assessment is a rather vague and underrepresented notion in mathematics education literature. The emotional drive behind this article is expressed in the following questions: How is it possible to look for concrete exclusionary school practices that qualify some and disqualify others without realizing that promotion/exclusion only becomes effective when a certain symbol is officially attached to the name of a student? How is it possible not to notice that promotion/exclusion can only be based on assessment-evaluation of mathematical content ability? How is it possible that mathematics education literature never broaches the consequences of assessment-evaluation on the lives of the students? We argue that these are not due to a temporary blindness of mathematics education research, but, rather, that we are dealing with a symptom. We focus on the dichotomous aspect of summative assessment as potentially loaded with anguish for students and teachers; we call it the splitting moment and endeavor to discuss its consequences for students and teachers.

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Notes

  1. Our theoretical framework is Lacanian psychoanalysis. However, to understand our argument, the common sense meaning of concepts such as “symptom,” “anguish,” and “acting out” will suffice. Therefore, we did not feel necessary to overburden this paper with specific references.

  2. http://portal.mec.gov.br/conselho-nacional-de-educacao/base-nacional-comum-curricular-bncc

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of Rio Grande do Sul - Campus Guaíba (UERGS), Rua Santa Maria, 2300, Guaíba, RS, 92717-310, Brazil

    Tânia C. B. Cabral & Roberto Ribeiro Baldino

  2. Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil

    Tânia C. B. Cabral

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  1. Tânia C. B. Cabral
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  2. Roberto Ribeiro Baldino
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Correspondence to Tânia C. B. Cabral.

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Cabral, T.C.B., Baldino, R.R. The credit system and the summative assessment splitting moment. Educ Stud Math 102, 275–288 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-019-09907-5

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