FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS IN UZBEKISTAN: A PILOT STUDY OF PRACTICES, BARRIERS, AND CONDITIONS FOR SCALING

Abstract

This article examines formative assessment practices in one specialized school and two Presidential Schools in Uzbekistan, as well as the organizational conditions that should be considered when transferring selected practices to the broader general secondary education system. The study employs a pilot, multi-source, predominantly qualitative design supported by descriptive quantitative evidence. The empirical material comprises 12 structured lesson observations, 15 semi-structured interviews with teachers, six focus groups with students in Grades 9–11 (n = 24), and 45 samples of written feedback. The mean descriptive score on the author-developed observation scale was 4.7 out of 7; systematic student involvement in self-assessment emerged as the weakest domain. Explicit self-assessment or peer-assessment procedures based on criteria were observed in 4 of the 12 lessons. Of the 45 written comments, 18 (40.0%) focused on the performance process or self-regulation, whereas 11 (24.4%) consisted of general evaluations of the learner or effort without specific instructional information. Students valued specific comments while simultaneously maintaining a strong orientation toward marks. Through comparison across data sources, a conceptual four-phase scaling model is proposed: diagnostic piloting, contextual adaptation, controlled expansion, and institutionalization. The findings do not permit an assessment of the causal effect of formative assessment on human-potential development, but they identify practical conditions for its more consistent implementation.