In a landscape where generative AI has eroded confidence in traditional written assessment signals, education leaders face an uncomfortable truth: the rubrics they've carefully crafted may no longer be fit for purpose on their own. Yet abandoning rubrics entirely isn't the answer.
We are currently living through an "Assessment Arms Race." On one side, students and job candidates are using Generative AI (like ChatGPT) to produce "perfect" essays and CVs in seconds. On the other side, institutions are rushing to buy AI marking tools to grade that work just as fast. It is a closed loop of machines grading machines. And in the middle of this loop, the human element - the actual understanding of quality - is quietly disappearing.
We assume that a blurry photo hides the quality of the work. We assume that if a drawing is photographed under yellow classroom lights, the examiner will think the drawing itself is yellow. We assume that Image Quality = Assessment Quality. But science suggests we are worrying about the wrong thing.
Look at the header image above. What do you see?
The Department of Art and Design at Utah State University’s Caine College is a dynamic community dedicated to excellence in visual art, design, and scholarship. Recognised for its nationally accredited programs, the department combines rigorous foundational study, creative innovation, and professional skill development within a supportive environment.
Don't panic!!This happens rarely (very rarely) but for good reason. Let us explain...
AI, and especially Large Language Models, have transformed everything. Training is no exception. Rather than offering passive lessons or static instructions, we empower you to become an active, self-sufficient learner—able to obtain clear, personalised answers, explanations and ideas for any part of RM Compare, whenever you need them.
We have spent the summer deep in the RM Compare system making a number of 'under-the-hood' changes and improvements. This effort will start to be realised very soon by users with some significant updates and upgrade - can't say much more right now but watch this space!
The announcement today that the 50% university participation target will be scrapped marks a major turning point in English education policy. As the focus shifts from traditional academic pathways to a broader, skills-driven vision, opportunities open up for learners, educators, and providers to rethink what success truly means in a rapidly changing world.
The Merrick-Ed Creative Assessment Success Package marks the end of reductive assessment practices that take the joy out of teaching and learning.
Generative AI and LLMs are everywhere in 2025 classrooms, making teaching and learning faster than ever. But as research in the Science of Learning shows, letting technology do too much of the thinking for us—“cognitive offloading”—weakens the very skills education aims to build.
Recent research (Gurel et.al 2025) dives into how adaptive comparative judgement (ACJ) performs when used to assess writing—and confirms that this approach is both robust and practical for organisations looking for fairer, more insightful assessment methods. What’s really important about these findings, and how do they connect to using ACJ tools like RM Compare?
The National Science Foundation (NSF) “Learning by Evaluating” (LbE) study (Award #2101235) is the most comprehensive analysis of Adaptive Comparative Judgement (ACJ) ever undertaken—an investment of $1.257 million over five years, spanning world-class universities and K-12 settings.