What you need to know about the renewed VU Assessment Framework

Principles of the Assessment Framework

The renewed framework aligns with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s strategic ambition for assessment and emphasizes space for innovation. The assessment policy sets minimum quality standards per assessment principle. This means more flexibility for programmes to design their own assessments, as long as they align with the shared VU vision on assessment. 

The principles are as follows:

1. Assessment according to the design principles of the VU assessment vision 
   Assessment is based on three design principles derived from VU Amsterdam’s core values: open, personal, and responsible. 
2. Assessment through constructive alignment 
   Assessment aligns with learning objectives: what and how you assess is determined by what students need to learn.
3. Interaction between formative dialogue and summative assessment  
   The learning process and summative assessment reinforce each other when they are well aligned. 
4. An assessment culture focused on joint and continuous improvement 
   Education and assessment are continuously improved within the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act), with attention to collaboration and quality.

What has changed? 

• More room for innovation: instead of detailed prescriptions, the framework offers minimum quality requirements per design principle from the assessment vision. This gives programmes more flexibility to shape their own assessment, within clear boundaries. 
• Policy translation of the assessment vision: in chapter 3.1, the design principles have been translated into assessment policy for the first time, with guidelines for practical application. 
• Attention to assessment culture: the framework highlights assessment as a shared responsibility that grows through collaboration and reflection. 
• Trusted foundations remain in place: the quality requirements from the previous framework have been retained and can be found in chapter 3.2. 

A shared starting point

Alice Schaap, policy advisor at the Department of Education Policy and Advice: “With this renewed assessment framework, programmes have a clear shared starting point for reshaping their assessment policy. It helps in making strategic choices: what do we want to assess, why, and in what way? This ensures that assessment not only complies with the rules, but also truly adds value.”

Curious about the full framework? You can read the complete document (after logging in) in chapter 10 of the Handbook on Education Quality.