Cogent Education

A Changing Landscape? Insights from Systematic Reviews on Teacher Assessment, Data, Feedback, and Digital Literacies

The digitally enhanced context in which learning takes place nowadays has sharpened and driven wider changes in teacher assessment, data use, and feedback practices. The notion of teacher assessment literacy, which generally denotes what teachers, students, and school or university administrators need for sound and effective assessment, has been paralleled by other constructs such as feedback, data, and digital literacy. Research on these topics has, faster than ever, gained widespread attention following the recent societal, economic, and ecological changes that have affected educational systems around the world in the recent post-pandemic years.

Entering such a lively debate, this article collection intends to identify the scholarly knowledge that exists regarding teacher assessment, data, digital and feedback literacies and, consequently, acknowledge how empirical study will be built upon in the near future.

The high-level commitment to assessment and data-based decision-making has proliferated in educational contexts and teachers have been called to switch from teaching and assessment practices extensively used for decades to new ones. While the growing use of digital learning platforms and student information systems in schools enables the storage and analysis of even more types of educational data, evidence from the ground shows that teachers continue to struggle with using technological resources and new instruments for assessment, feedback, and data-based decision making.

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses an added challenge. With AI, educators face not only a new challenge of preventing unethical practices by learners but also the opportunity to consider the utilization of AI as both an instructional resource for teachers and a learning objective for students. Indeed, the incorporation of AI-based tools into teachers’ pedagogical practice--including (self-)assessment and feedback--is crucial for sustained and meaningful practice.

The present article collection will provide a better understanding of these topics in order to orient and guide teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers.

This article collection calls for systematic review studies (which may include associated research methods of meta-analysis, meta-summary, meta-synthesis, scoping review, and/or rapid review) on teacher assessment literacy, data literacy, digital literacy and feedback literacy as key concepts to identify relationships between works in the contexts of contribution to teacher education and educational assessment fields.

The systematic analysis of emerging trends in educational research in teacher assessment, data, feedback, and digital literacy is crucial to critically reflect on the potentials, perils, and limitations in investigating these topics. From an evidence-based educational perspective, furthermore, inspiration and guidance for new insights in support of education policy and practice will be provided.

Keywords

1. Teacher assessment literacy
2. Teacher data literacy
3. Feedback literacy
4. Digital literacy
5. Systematic review

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 March 2026.

Please contact Kristen Brida at kristen.brida@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

About the Guest Advisors

Dr. Serafina Pastore works as an Associate Professor in the Research and Humanities Innovation Department at the University of Bari (Italy). She holds a PhD in Instructional Design and Educational Assessment and is a Fulbright Research Fellow. She currently serves as a member of the unit responsible for the internal quality assurance system at the University of Bari. Her research examines the complex intersections of assessment practice, teacher education, and educational policy as they operate within the context of school and university innovations. Her recent work focuses on teacher assessment literacy, classroom assessment, and formative assessment.

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Dr. Christopher R. Gareis, Ed.D., is Professor of Educational Leadership in the William & Mary School of Education, where he teaches courses in curriculum development, instructional leadership, teacher mentoring, classroom assessment, and program evaluation.  His research interests include classroom assessment, performance-based assessment, and principal trust.  He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed and practitioner publications, including books on teacher-made assessments and assessing deeper learning.  He is the recipient of state and national awards for research, technology innovation, translating theory to practice, and transformative leadership.

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Dr. Pastore and Dr. Gareis do not have any Conflicts of Interest to disclose.