What is assessment anyway?

Part 1 - Reimagining assessment and course delivery

What if we expanded our view of assessment? What if assessment and learning were intermingled so that the two were indistinguishable? In this view, assessment IS learning and learning IS assessment.

Imagine coach learning and development where CD observations of coaches in action, followed by supportive conversations, were part and parcel of the learning process. From time-to-time peers would be part of the conversation too, and coaches would learn and use the skills of review and reflection.
Imagine too, that this change in approach provided an alternative to traditional assessment.

This view of coach learning and development requires a mindset change in the way we go about preparing coaches. Particularly in accreditation / certification courses. Is a different mental model of what coach development and assessment looks like required? And would it have its own set of challenges to address?

Toby Doyle from New Zealand Cricket has been leading the charge encapsulated in the latest iteration of the NZ Cricket Coaching System with a range of initiatives, some of which are discussed below.

In England, Liam McCarthy at Leeds Beckett University has done much work on rethinking assessment in coach development (1). His propositions have added weight as they are grounded in his collaborations with major sporting organisations. His work is described in a recent book of perspectives on assessment and development from around the world (2).

ASSESSMENT & LEARNING INTERMINGLED

A personalised coaching experience approach is dependent on courses paying far more attention to the HOW of coaching. That is putting COACHING PRACTICE front and centre. See an earlier article in coachdev by the pioneer coach educator Eric Worthington here.

COACHING PRACTICE

‘Coaching practice’ is just that – a coach applies their knowledge to a simulated or real-world coaching task.

Coaching involves finding the best combination of a developmentally favourable coaching environment, the task at hand and the athlete’s needs. While remembering all along that coaching is both a technical and relational challenge. The coach’s teaching skills are the magic that brings it all together.

The graphic opposite is an attempt to capture the essence of a coaches role when guiding coaching experience sessions. (This model is expanded in Part 2).

AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL: KEY FEATURES in BRIEF

A key feature is the increased time and emphasis on the HOW of coaching through coaching practice.

  • It starts with course DESIGN. Plan for a major part of the coaches’ learning taking place on-the-job. This should be guided by a trained CD. If that is difficult, ramp up the amount of time (> 50%) spent on micro-coaching activities within the F2F course. Sufficient time should be allocated to discussion and debrief / reflection.
  • CONTEXT is important, so some guided coaching in the coach’s club or organisation is of great value.
  • The DISTRIBUTION of the LEARNING OVER TIME is just as important (maybe more so) than learning in a single block of time (3).
  • Ensure there is sufficient time for coaching practice with a strong emphasis on the HOW of coaching – organising, reading the play, and adapting instruction. As confidence grows coaches sharpen their own learn-to-learn skills including reflection and self-regulation. See Kirsi Hämaläinen’s Top 4 CD Tips here (Point #1).
THE SKILLS to be LEARNED DETERMINE the ‘THEORY’ to be COVERED
  • COACHING KNOWLEDGE is important, but it needs to be in the right proportion, delivered in the most efficient means and reinforced in hands-on settings. Theory teaching in many courses does not pass this test of application to a real-coaching situation. The answer is not to allocate more time to theory.
  • ONLINE LEARNING is an efficient way to deliver the ‘theory’. It should contain a mix of surface and deep knowledge challenges, and preferably use FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT methods to deepen learning and ensure some quality control.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

The aim of formative assessment is to provide both the learner and CD with feedback about progress and next steps in the learning. Formative assessments are low stakes activities that are integral to the learning.

  • Other TECHNOLOGY ASSISTED LEARNING methods can complement the online learning or for some topics, replace it. Webinars that are discussion based (and not lectures) can be helpful.
  • Too much ‘theory’ is worse than not enough. Emphasise NEED to KNOW stuff over NICE to KNOW stuff. Use the simple test: Will the coach be able to see the connection between the theory and their practice AND use it?
REQUIREMENTS for the ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

Listed below are essential ingredients for a successful personalised coaching experience approach that will stand up to scrutiny:

  1. Multiple coaching experience sessions separated in time are required to facilitate real learning and for the CD to make judgements about capability.
  2. Formal club or organisation support in practice guided by a trained coach educator / mentor further enhances the quality of the experience and can be an integral part of accreditation / certification programs (Access the Australian Sports Commission Supporting Coaches in Practice course here).
  3. Well-structured partner and group work (4) that provides opportunities for peer-to-peer teaching and social learning can have a significant positive impact on learning. (5)
  4. The CD / coach educator / mentor should be trained in the skills required to guide growth-related conversations that flow out of in situ learning. (For more information, see here.)
  5. Appropriate CD / coach records of achievement should be kept. This process should be as low key as possible with the emphasis on GROWTH and not ASSESSMENT.
  6. Coaches should become increasingly proficient at being able to articulate the task at hand, its purpose, ‘what good looks like’, and be able to reflect on their own thoughts, feelings and behaviours flowing out of the coaching experience challenges.
  7. The personalised coaching experience approach demands a shift in time allocated to hands-on coaching (micro-coaching or supported practice).
  8. It is important that essential (need to know to coach) ‘theory’ is provided through well designed technology assisted learning (e.g., online learning, webinars, etc). This may mean a reduction in time given to non-experiential learning.
  9. The most powerful way to deepen knowledge is to do something with it. That is to apply it in practice. CDs have an important role in making the links to practice.
HOW WILL WE KNOW if the COACH is CAPABLE?

The personalised coaching experience approach described here has to stand up to scrutiny. Is it contributing to the development of ‘job-ready’ coaches?

By the way, much of what passes for ‘rigorous’ assessment doesn’t do all that good a job of assessing coaches’ coaching capability anyway! Something that has been described as the ‘illusion of competency’ (6).

But is this also true of the personalised coaching experience approach described here? Is it really all rainbows and unicorns for the alternative described here?

ASSESSMENT WITHOUT ASSESSMENT

This approach of closely integrating development and assessment involves minute-to-minute observations and judgements that are the basis of conversations. The conversations help to flag ‘what to do next’. Coaching capability is enhanced through this iterative approach. It is a kind of Assessment without Assessment where the focus is on learning and development.

The personalised approach allows the CD to cut some slack for different rates of learning. Provided the ‘must haves’ are covered, some variation in learning outcomes can be tolerated.

More than 50 years ago Lee Cronbach (7) defined assessment as a procedure for drawing inferences. It is easy to see how the process of observation > judgement > discussion fits this definition without the need for a summative assessment.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

A summative assessment takes place at the end of a learning period. It measures what the learner has learned. This may lead to a grade or be used to affirm mastery of the learning.

BRING PEOPLE ALONG WITH YOU

It is important to bring people along whenever change is proposed (See Dawn Ho’s post on change here). Coaches may initially be sceptical of a new or different approach. Administrators with a concern for risk management may be sceptical if the approach is different from what they know. Funding agencies and other peak organisations may also need convincing.

Time should be taken to explain how the approach may be different from other learning experiences coaches may have had. Coaches may expectations of being told what to do. This calls for some explanation of the how and why of more collaborative learning approaches.

Developing learn-to-learn skills may be the most important thing we can help coaches with.

WHAT ABOUT a HYBRID APPROACH?

A hybrid approach, mixing the personalised coaching experience approach with some endpoint (summative) assessment might act as a useful transition strategy for those wanting to dip a toe.

Even if your Sport’s assessment requirements are heavily weighted toward a summative assessment approach, the ideas outlined above which are based on trained personnel observing, supporting, and offering guidance through conversations, is still available to you. What are you waiting for?

Good luck! 😊

REFERENCES
  1. McCarthy, L., Vangrunderbeek, H., & Piggott, D. (2022). Principles of Good Assessment Practice in Coach Education: An Initial Proposal. International Sports Coaching Journal, (9)2, 252-262.
  2. McCarthy, Liam. (2025). Sport Coach Education, Development, and Assessment (International Perspectives). Routledge, New York, and London. (See chapters at: p1, 62, 75).
  3. InnerDrive blog. What is the Spacing Effect? Available here.
  4. InnerDrive blog. 10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Classroom Group Work. Available here.
  5. Grant, Adam. (2023). Hidden Potential (The Science of Achieving Greater Things). Penguin Random House UK.
    In this highly readable book, Adam Grant writes about maximising group intelligence by bringing people together to solve a problem. The smartest teams are not the ones with biggest IQs, but the ones with pro-social qualities enabling them to effectively collaborate. (See pp. 179,181, 188, 198)
  6. Collins, D., Burke, V., Martindale, A & Cruickshank, A. (2014). The Illusion of Competency Versus the Desirability of Expertise: Seeking a Common Standard for Support Professions in Sport. Sports Medicine, 45(1). The article is available here.
  7. Cronbach, L.J., (1971). ‘Test Validation’ in Thorndike, R.L. (ed.) Educational Measurement. 2nd. Edn. Washington DC: American Council on Education, pp. 443-507.
Acknowledgement

Thanks to Lawrie Woodman for providing useful feedback.

Slow Learning: The House of Change

One framework. One room. A lot of honest reflection.

Dawn Ho is the Community Development for Singapore Gymnastics. She has recently completed her Masters degree in Sports and Exercise Studies.
In this post, Dawn tackles the issue of change, which invariably is more complex than we first imagine. She reminds us that it is all too easy to forget the human dimension of change.

In any change process Dawn encourages those in the torrent of change to explore their current experiences of change, reflect on their thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and situations, and ideally, gain some clarity on their next steps and connection to their goals.

It is a good reminder for coach developers that introducing new initiatives has a people component as well as a technical component.

This article originally appeared in Dawn’s blog here

EXPLORE the HOUSE of CHANGE

Following the Australian Sports Commission’s Coaching and Officiating Conference 2025, held at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, I had the opportunity to share a learning from the event to a group of local women coaches as part of a Community of Practice.

I recalled The House of Change —a framework that was only briefly mentioned during the closing speech of the conference, but it stuck with me. Back in Singapore, I conducted a 1-hour workshop where participants were invited to use the House of Change framework to work through a change process relevant to their lives.

Developed by Jane Greene and Anthony Grant (1), it frames personal change and goal achievement through the lens of four interconnected dimensions of human experience:

I was curious about how this framework could support the process of recognising and initiating change in a practical, everyday context. 

THE HOUSE of CHANGE FRAMEWORK in ACTION
Workshop prompt #1 – Personal reflection

The workshop began with the coaches reflecting on their current state of mind by drawing their own House of Change—divided into four rooms, each representing a dimension of the framework.

They were then asked to consider a change they might be navigating in their work or personal life. Using short notes or key words, they filled in each ‘room’ and reflected on how the change was unfolding across the four areas, guided by the following prompts:

The workshop started with an invitation to the coaches to visit their current state of mind by drawing their own House of Change on a piece of paper with four rooms, one for each dimension of the framework.

Coaches were encouraged to fill in each “room” with short notes or key words and reflect on how personal change was playing out in the four areas of their lives.

Workshop prompt #2 – Collaborative reflection

In the second segment, coaches then broke into small groups to share their personal reflections, before reporting their group’s insights using into Mentimeter. This allowed the group to surface broader patterns and common themes in how coaches were experiencing change across the room.

Workshop prompt #3 – Thought transformation

In the final segment, coaches were invited to transform their combined House of Change into a collective House of Thrive.

Each coach wrote one action per sticky note—one for each dimension—that could help them move from their current state toward a more empowered one, either as a group and/or individually. They were encouraged to keep the original House they had drawn for themselves, as a grounding reference for their journey.

OBSERVATIONS - CHANGE, IDENTITY & ANXIETY, PURPOSE

As we flashed the responses up on Mentimeter, one thing that really stood out was how many of the responses leaned toward negative emotions — particularly anxiety — even amidst the overall excitement about change.

The strong presence of anxiety in response to change may be closely tied to shifts in identity. For some of the women coaches present at that CoP, as some of their roles expand or shift, they aren’t just taking on new responsibilities — they’re often navigating multiple, sometimes conflicting, identities. This can create internal tension and lower self-confidence, especially when expectations feel misaligned (3).

That dip in confidence can make transitions feel more destabilising, even when they’re framed as exciting or full of potential. But, as the literature suggests, this doesn’t have to be permanent. Supportive mentorship, continuous exposure, and development opportunities can help individuals rebuild confidence and begin to internalise a stronger, more coherent sense of identity (4).

Over time, being able to see oneself — and be seen by others — in a new role becomes a key part of that identity shift (5).

THE FRAMEWORK in PRACTICE

A couple of weeks later, I reconnected with one of the workshop attendees who shared that she had started using the same framework with a student-athlete.

The student was feeling discouraged after being passed over for the role of captain, so they used the framework to explore what personal changes might be needed to earn a nomination from the team.

While I don’t know how their ongoing conversations will unfold, I imagine it will take a few more open discussions and moments of self-reflection for the athlete to clarify a sense of purpose or action plan—and to consider whether that plan truly aligns with her goals in the first place.

STAGES of CHANGE – LOOKING BACK

There may not be a perfect framework for navigating change, but starting by naming what’s hard or murky, creating a meaningful plan or sense of purpose, and then reflecting on that plan’s direction and relevance seems like a promising place to begin.

There might not be immediate answers or crystal-clear next steps from the workshop —and that’s okay.

The stages of change model (6), proposes that behaviour change is not a single event but occurs in stages.

With this in mind, if I could do anything differently it would be to design a series of workshops that followed and supported each participant’s unfolding change journey. Incorporating a journal log could also serve as a complementary tool to help individuals explore and track readiness to move from awareness to action.

To deepen reflection within the house of change framework, a helpful hint might be:
“If you revisit your House of Change in the next week/month/year, what might be different in your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, or situation?”

REFERENCES

(1) Grant, A., Greene, J., & Grant, A. M. (2003). Solution-focused coaching: Managing people in a complex world. Pearson Education.

(2) Grant, A. (2023). Think again: The power of knowing what you don’t know. Penguin.

(3) Lieff, S., Baker, L., Mori, B., Egan-Lee, E., Chin, K., & Reeves, S. (2012). Who am I? Key influences on the formation of academic identity within a faculty development program. Medical Teacher, 34(3), e208–e215. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.642827

(4) Schnaubert, L., Krukowski, S., & Bodemer, D. (2021). Assumptions and confidence of others: The impact of socio-cognitive information on metacognitive self-regulation. Metacognition and Learning, 16(3), 855–887. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-021-09269-5

(5) Freeman, K. J., Carr, S. E., Phillips, B., Noya, F., & Nestel, D. (2022). From clinician to educator: A scoping review of professional identity and the influence of impostor phenomenon. The Asia Pacific Scholar, 7(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2022-7-1/RA2537

(6) Prochaska, J. O., Johnson, S., & Lee, P. (2009). The Transtheoretical Model of behavior change. In S. A. Shumaker, J. K. Ockene, & K. A. Riekert (Eds.), The handbook of health behavior change (3rd ed., pp. 59–83). Springer Publishing Company.