Beyond Recall: Rethinking Assessment in a World with AI.
Inspired by conversations with Dr. Simon McCallum (Victoria University, Wellington) and Benny Pan (Rototuna High School, Hamilton) at the recent PPTA Leadership Summit in Christchurch, it’s time to examine how assessment must evolve. Traditionally, assessment has prioritized factual recall. In an AI-driven era where ChatGPT and similar tools can supply information instantly, simply rewarding recall is no longer sufficient. We need to shift our focus toward critical engagement and metacognitive reflection. A quick review of current assessment in New Zealand under the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) shows that e xternal examinations emphasize definitions with questions often asking students to reproduce textbook definitions under timed conditions. Internal assessments favor knowledge checks which frequently take the form of short reports that reward memorisation. Talking to students the c redit tally takes over critical thinki...