Contextualized Assessment Literacy Practices in TLA-Integrated English Education:Evidence from Multiple Teaching Cases in Inner Mongolia

Abstract

This study examines English teachers’ assessment literacy within the framework of Teaching-Learning-Assessment (TLA) integration in primary and secondary schools in Inner Mongolia, China. An exploratory multiple-case study design was adopted to examine six publicly documented cases representing urban, town, township, ethnic-region, and border-area schools. Data were collected from official education documents, National Smart Education Platform materials, educational news reports, school media, and relevant curriculum and policy documents, and were analyzed through content analysis, within-case analysis, cross-case comparison, and source triangulation. The findings show that teachers increasingly integrate assessment with classroom teaching through learning tasks, classroom performance, formative feedback, and digital learning evidence, while the extent to which curriculum assessment principles are translated into systematic assessment criteria, evidence collection, and instructional adjustment varies across contexts. Smart platforms, AI-assisted writing assessment, and dual-teacher models expand teachers’ access to assessment resources and feedback, while professional judgment remains central to interpreting evidence and making instructional decisions. Regional conditions further shape assessment practices, with differences in professional support, resource availability, technological access, and learner characteristics influencing teachers’ assessment development. Based on the cross-case findings, the study proposes an analytical pathway and recommends sustained professional learning, school-based collaboration, appropriate technology use, and differentiated regional support to strengthen teachers’ assessment literacy.