The moral grounding of changing educational assessment and accountability: a theoretically informed analysis of moral assemblages in Denmark

Abstract

This paper examines, via the concept of moral assemblage, the function of assessment as a tool for moral accountability and legitimation. Moral assemblages consist of disciplinary institutions, technologies, and practices, intertwined with elements of moral relationality, such as blame and shame, trust and risk, recognition and misrecognition, and care and safeguarding. The focus of this analysis is the Danish education system, which has undergone significant upheavals and changes in terms of assessment and accountability, including the moral foundations underlying these shifts in recent years. Empirically, the paper draws on policy documents, radio interviews, debate papers, and interviews with key actors at school, local, and national levels in Denmark. By drawing conclusions about the evolving moral foundations surrounding accountability-driven assessment policies, this paper enhances our understanding of how changes in accountability and assessment systems – even within a liberal and decentralised education system – reflect moral considerations in the context of increased demands for legitimation and system control.