Blogs by Sarah Hughes

The future of high stakes school assessment

by Sarah Hughes, 31 January 2023
Classic analog typewriter vs Modern digital hi-tech laptop computer
In the past 40 years, the pace of technological change has been rapid. In those same years, assessment has remained largely the same. In this blog we ask, is digital assessment finally on its way, and if so what does that look like? From a lift and shift model to 'born digital exams, we examine how technology is shaping assessment, and discuss why the focus should be on what we want for the future of education, not what the tech can do for us.

How can we balance innovation and comparability in our digital high stakes assessments?

by Sarah Hughes & Gill Elliot, 04 October 2022
picture comparing a tennis ball with an old cricket ball
Comparability, or the extent to which standards are similar, between paper and digital assessments can be a concern. In this blog researchers Sarah Hughes and Gill Elliot explain what we mean by comparability when talking about digital assessment, and how our Digital High Stakes Assessment Programme is balancing innovation and comparability of outcomes.

Sarah Hughes

Sarah Hughes
Research and Thought Leadership Lead, Cambridge University Press & Assessment