Abstract

This account of a review of the statutory arrangements for assessing pupils at ages 11 and 14 in Wales explains how, drawing on evidence from a variety of sources, recommendations for changes to policies on assessment were put forward to the Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning in 2004. The way policies in this area were developed is analysed. Following a discussion of what this case study reveals about the process of policy development in the new circumstances created by the establishment of a National Assembly for Wales and a Welsh Assembly Government, the article concludes by identifying some of salient features of the policy process. These include the ideological roots of the Assembly Government's vision of a 'Learning Country', a greater openness in both evidence-gathering and decision-making, and new mechanisms for the review and development of policy.

How to Cite:

Daugherty, R., (2007) “National Curriculum Assessment in Wales: Evidence-informed Policy?”, Wales Journal of Education 14(1), 69-84.