Several studies have shown that teachers have personal beliefs about assessment purposes, and these beliefs influence their teaching and assessment practices, superseding educational policies and scientific recommendations (see, e.g., Caria, 2000; Cipriano & Martins, 2021; Houtte, 2011). During the Covid-19 pandemic, teaching and assessment practices have faced a totally new paradigm (Cipriano & Martins, 2023), and the need to promote teachers’ assessment literacy and teachers’ professional development was, once again, highlighted (Panadero et al., 2022). Considering the pre-pandemic study carried out by Cipriano & Martins (2021), with our research, we wanted to know how the Covid-19 pandemic affected Portuguese teachers’ assessment beliefs and practices. Additionally, we wanted to know whether continuous professional development in classroom assessment moderated these beliefs and practices. To do that, a survey was disseminated among Portuguese school communities, asking teachers about their classroom assessment practices and their beliefs about assessment and grade repetition. In addition, it was asked if they have participated in the MAIA project, a national initiative to improve assessment and teaching practices through continuous training. With a sample of 2673 teachers, the results suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic had little consequences on current assessment beliefs and practices, while continuous professional development has significantly affected these beliefs: When comparing teachers who did not participate in the MAIA training project with teachers who participated in the MAIA training project, the latter reported that they further diversified their assessment instruments, with greater concern about the use of formative assessment, and greater awareness of the negative effects of grade repetition on student learning. These findings reveal that continuous professional development is vital to improve classroom assessment and, in times of teacher shortage, it seems to be essential to continue improving teachers’ assessment literacy through continuous professional training to mitigate the impacts of teacher shortage on students' learning.

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