Your grade does not define you: rethinking assessment through care-centred pedagogy

Amid increasing tensions in South Australia over the integration of capabilities like the 5Cs, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and citizenship, this study examines how early career teachers (ECTs) navigate competing pressures between academic rigour and holistic student development. Drawing on the principles of care-centred pedagogy, the research explores how ECTs reframe assessment practices to move beyond grades as the primary measure of success. Through an interpretive qualitative approach, the study investigates how ECTs conceptualise, enact, and reflect on relational, equity-focused assessment practices in the context of high-stakes accountability frameworks such as NAPLAN and ATAR. Data collection involves semi-structured interviews and classroom artefact analysis to capture how care, trust, and ethical responsibility shape teachers’ assessment decisions. Findings aim to illuminate how ECTs balance systemic demands with the need to nurture the whole student, challenging deficit views of learning and highlighting assessment as a humanising practice. This research contributes to contemporary debates in assessment reform and teacher preparation by offering practical and theoretical insights into how relational and rigorous assessment can co-exist. It holds significance for teacher educators, policymakers, and school leaders seeking to support ECTs in designing assessment that promotes both excellence and equity.