International Agendas Shaping Student Assessment: Recent developments in Armenia in response to EFA Goal 6 and potential implications

Based on the concept that completion of an internationally established goal does not always equate success for the country implementing it, this paper looks to the pressure that the Education for All agenda puts upon counties to adopt standardized assessment mechanisms. First, it paper looks at some driving forces behind its creation and efforts employed to measure education quality with particular attention to EFA Goal Six and its mandate for measurability of student learning outcomes. The argument is be made that this aim for measurability has generally been accomplished through standardized means, often in the form of large-scale testing schemes, with evidence that these types of assessments are increasingly popular forms of measurement. Some dangers of standardized assessments are highlighted. This issue will be specifically addressed within the context of the Republic of Armenia, a transitional small state in the Caucasus Region which is currently undergoing large-scale education reforms. Recent changes within the Armenian education policy are argued to have been established in part meet international agendas such as EFA Goal Six. The paper concludes with a look at the benefits and costs of implementation, with special attention to the potential cultural implications of prioritising internationally accepted standardized assessments over more traditional means.