Bringing Student Agency to Life through Inquiry-Based Assessment

 

“Inquiry thrives as we become partners in learning.  

Inquiry thrives when it is coached and modelled. 

Inquiry thrives when we scaffold for the understanding and acquisition of the skills of agency.” 

— Trevor MacKenzie, Educator, Author 

 “What happens when we let students take the reins of their own assessment? In my classroom, I watched confidence bloom and curiosity take the lead.”

Inquiry-based assessment evaluates how students demonstrate understanding through a learning process rather than just memorising facts. It encourages curiosity, exploration, and real-world connections. This type of assessment focuses on knowledge, inquiry skills, communication, collaboration, and reflection, giving value to both the learning process and the final product. Connecting passion with intention, the inquiry process builds capacity through student agency, where voice, choice, and ownership feature strongly.

In our Grade 5 classroom, we explored the Theme: “How We Express Ourselves,” with the Central Idea: “Media is a powerful tool to inform and persuade audience.” The line of inquiry we focused on was How media influences us with the Conceptual Lens: Perspective.
Instead of assigning a task, a powerful question was put to the students: 
                      “How would you like to showcase your learning?” 

This shift transformed the assessment from teacher - designed to student - driven, giving learners the freedom to decide how they would demonstrate their understanding, select the arguments to present, and take ownership of their learning process, making the task more meaningful and engaging. 

Here's how it unfolded: 

 Step 1: Co-Designing the Task 
Co-designing the task means students and teacher work together to plan and shape the assessment, rather than the teacher deciding everything in advance. In this process, students contribute ideas, share their interests, and help determine the product, goals, and expectations of the task.  After thoughtful brainstorming, collaborative discussions, and mapping to learning outcomes, students chose to engage in a debate. 

The debate topic was: “Which form of media is the most influential?” 

This task allowed them to: 

• Apply persuasive techniques 

• Identify the purpose and impact of media messages 

• Demonstrate critical thinking skills 

• Evaluate different perspectives 

They weren’t just showing what they knew; they were using their learning to build an argument and reflect on its real - world relevance. 

Step 2: Structured Inquiry Support

Structured inquiry provides guidance while still allowing students to explore their own questions. It ensures that inquiry is purposeful without limiting student voice. During debate preparation, guiding questions were offered to deepen their thinking. These questions mentioned below helped students understand the purpose behind each prompt and supported them in making meaningful connections to their arguments.

Guiding Question	Purpose
How do your media form influence people’s choices, thoughts, or actions?	Encourages critical thinking about impact
Who is the target audience?	Helps students identify perspectives and context
What emotions or responses does it trigger?	Promotes understanding of media effects
How has it influenced you personally?	Connects learning to personal experience

This phase blended student voice with teacher scaffolding, keeping inquiry open but purposeful. 

  Step 3: Co-Constructing the Assessment Criteria
We collaboratively created a checklist using “I can” statements, giving students clarity and ownership over their success. 

Examples included: 
✅ I can use appropriate persuasive language 

✅ I can support my views with strong reasons, facts and examples

✅ I can speak clearly, confidently and stay focused

Designing the tool together gave students a shared understanding of expectations, and a sense of control over their learning journey. 

 

 Step 4: Feedback as a Growth Tool 
Post-debate, students: 

• Self-assessed using the checklist 

• Engaged in peer feedback conversations 

• Received teacher feedback focused on reflection and next steps 

Teacher feedback became a reflective conversation — celebrating strengths and guiding next steps with clarity.

Assessment became more than just a final judgment; it became a part of the learning process itself. 

Final Reflection 

When we move from “assessment done to students” to “assessment done with students,” we unlock a learning culture where curiosity, ownership, and growth thrive. By inviting learners to co-construct tasks, set success criteria, and engage in meaningful feedback, we empower them to see themselves not just as students, but as assessment capable learners. In this way, assessment becomes more than a measure of achievement; it becomes a powerful tool for growth.

When learners co-own their assessment, they don’t just learn for the grade — they learn for life.

Blog By,

Ms. C. Suguna. Sarvanan

IB-PYP Facilitator

TIPS, Salem