Between OWLs and SAEBs

how assessments can shape and limit the teaching-learning process

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of assessment systems on teaching and learning processes in Brazilian basic education, discussing how standardized and classificatory evaluation instruments—particularly large-scale exams—can hinder the holistic development of students. Although initially designed as diagnostic tools, assessments such as SAEB and ANA have increasingly taken on a normative role, significantly influencing curricula, pedagogical practices, and school dynamics, while also compromising school autonomy. This qualitative and theoretical-analytical study offers a critical reflection on these practices and their role in perpetuating educational inequalities, drawing on authors such as Esteban (2002), Freire (1996), Patto (1999), and Hoffmann (2011). To enrich the analysis, the paper engages in dialogue with the fictional universe of Harry Potter, using the OWLs and NEWTs exams administered at Hogwarts as symbolic references of academic and professional selection. The comparison between reality and fiction highlights how exams can function as mechanisms of control and selection, reinforcing meritocratic and exclusionary logics that contribute little to emancipatory education. By questioning the centrality of testing in school life, the article points to the potential of formative, dialogical assessment practices that are responsive to local contexts, advocating for evaluation as a process-oriented and emancipatory tool, rather than a final destination.