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Abstract<br/><br/>This multi-method study examined the relationship between the practices of 21st century assessment and learners' performance in public secondary schools in Schools Division of Antique for School Year 2024 - 2025 as basis for enhanced assessment implementation guidelines. The quantitative phase involved 43 purposively selected secondary school heads and 127 Grade 10 English, Mathematics, and Science teachers, while the qualitative phase engaged nine school heads and nine teachers representing the northern, central, and southern clusters of the division. Data were gathered using a researcher-made survey questionnaire, National Achievement Test results as secondary data, and semi- structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, standard deviation, and mean) and inferential tests (t-test for independent samples, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson r) at a 0,05 significance level, processed through SPSS Versior 20. Qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis following Creswell and Creswell's (2018) framework.<br/><br/>Findings revealed that school heads occasionally practiced 21st- century assessment strategies, whereas teachers very frequently implemented these practices, with variations observed across school size, class size, workload, specialization alignment, and assessment training. Learners' performance in English, Mathematics, and Science was classified as low proficient, No significant differences were found in the assessment practices of school heads and teachers across demographic and contextual variables, nor was there a significant relationship between their assessment practices and learners' performance. The qualitative phase identified a common best 21st century assessment practice between school heads and teachers of using a constructivist, diverse and authentic assessment practices. School heads come up with unique themes such as instructional leadership and assessment governance, technology integrated assessment, and feedback intervention and stakeholders' collaboration while teachers focus on classroom - level practices such as collaborative and peer mediated assessment and utilization of analytic and holistic rubrics. Furthermore, both conversation partners have been hindered by learner related constraints, specifically n̐sufficient foundational and language competencies and teachers workload. School heads are challenged by teachers` capacity and pedagogical constraints as well as institutional barriers. Teachers, on the other hand, are being tested by the decline in learners' academic responsibility and integrity and contextual barriers to effective teaching and learning.<br/><br/>The proposed enhanced policy framework provides a system-wide approach to strengthening 21st century classroom assessment by focusing on strengthened instructional leadership by rationalizing administrative workloads, aligning grading and promotion policies with assessment standards, protecting instructional time, and managing teacher workload. At the instructional leadership level, the framework institutionalizes structured assessment monitoring and mentoring repositioning school heads as instructional leaders rather than compliance supervisors. In the classroom level, the promotion of quality and authentic practice through standardized assessment quality indicators, constructivist and differentiated assessment practices, contextualized and integrative tasks, and portfolio-based assessment. Finally, the framework strengthens learner-centered and ethical assessment by reinforcing diagnostic and formative assessment, learner accountability, academic integrity, and responsible use of technology. |