A review of South African research in the field of dynamic assessment

Dynamic assessment, and in particular the learning potential approach, are receiving increasing attention from educators and research practitioners worldwide. This article re-ports on the status of dynamic assessment in South Africa, with particular reference to its use in higher education. A review of local studies and an informal survey of 36 institutions revealed that it is widely recognised that fair selection of students from a variety of different backgrounds requires assessment strategies that focus on future potential in addition to current ability. To this end, a number of South African learning potential instruments have been developed, empirical studies conducted (in most cases with positive results), and selection procedures implemented that make use of dynamic assessment techniques. The development and use of dynamic assessment in South Africa has been limited by misperceptions regarding the nature of dynamic assessment; a lack of a consistent defini-tions and research approaches; and perceptions regarding high costs of implementation