This paper reports the results of a study with 40 teachers from the Educational System from the State of Ceará, which were probed on the potentialities and difficulties inherent in assessing student learning. The survey results suggest that teachers: a) use the dialogue with students and audiovisual resources as two strategies to motivate them for learning; b) understand the cognitive process of learning and how to internalize and apply the acquired knowledge, c) believe they are fully responsible for the progress of students; d) give emphasis to the students' participation in the classroom activities as well as to their performance in a written exam, in school research and in group works. They argue, however, that the main obstacles to their learning are lack of students' interest, lack of discipline in the classroom and the distance between the family and the school. With the results of learning assessment, teachers often review the contents of which students had low performance, and they tend to reflect more about the errors committed by students. Based on this information some teachers claim to modify teaching strategies and use more varied teaching strategies.
educational assessment; learning assessment; achievement tests