ASSESSMENT LITERACY IN TEACHER EDUCATION: PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ ABILITY TO DESIGN SUMMATIVE WRITING RUBRICS

Abstract

This study addresses the challenge of preparing pre-service teachers to develop objective and valid writing assessment instruments in elementary Islamic education. It investigates how effectively fourth-semester The Islamic Elementary School Teacher Education (PGMI) students at STAI Sabilul Muttaqin Mojokerto design summative writing assessment rubrics for Madrasah Ibtidaiyah within the Merdeka Curriculum framework, contributing to the field of assessment literacy in teacher education. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed involving 12 students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through portfolio analysis, classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. The findings indicate that most students demonstrated strong competence in aligning assessment tasks with Learning Objectives, integrating contextual visual stimuli, and designing guided writing activities supported by word banks. Nevertheless, several technical issues were identified, particularly inconsistencies between assessment instruments and rubrics as well as inaccuracies in score conversion formulas. The study also found positive student readiness to integrate the Estafet Writing method as a collaborative scaffolding strategy before summative assessment. These findings suggest that while students possess adequate conceptual understanding of writing assessment design, additional practice-oriented training is needed to strengthen technical implementation skills. The study contributes to the field of teacher education by providing empirical evidence that assessment literacy development should integrate conceptual understanding with systematic hands-on training in rubric construction and scoring procedures to better prepare prospective teachers for classroom assessment.