A study of New Zealand secondary school students using four self-report inventories of
conceptions of assessment found four robust independent measurement models. Four
structural models mapped the conceptions of assessment to mathematics achievement
taking into account student ethnicity and student sex. The conceptions that assessment
makes students accountable and was beneficial for students loaded positively on
achievement, while the conceptions that assessment is fun and assessment is ignored
had negative loadings on achievement. These findings are consistent with selfregulation
theory and formative assessment, suggesting that students who use
assessment to take responsibility for their learning by using assessment formatively
will attain increased mathematics outcomes.
Keywords: Assessment, secondary school students, conceptions, mathematics