Dr. DeLuca (PhD, Queen’s University) is a Professor of Educational Assessment at the Faculty of Education and is a Royal Society of Canada College Member. He is the Managing Director of the Queen's Assessment and Evaluation Centre in Education and leads the Classroom Assessment Research Team. Previously, Dr. DeLuca was an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida (Tampa, USA) and has worked in the area of policy research in London, England.

Chris’s scholarship explores the intersection of assessment, curriculum, and pedagogy, and works to support educators in negotiating these areas of practice to enhance learning for all. He has published over 6 books and 125 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and has received numerous awards for his research including the American Educational Research Association Outstanding Paper in Classroom Assessment Award, the Messick Lecture Award from the Language Testing Research Commission, and the R. W. Jackson Award from the Canadian Society for the Study of Education. Chris works closely with graduate students and has been honoured with the National Mentorship Award from the Canadian Committee of Graduate Students in Education and the Queen’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision.

Chris collaborates with school districts, ministries of education, and educational agencies around the world to help transform assessment and learning in schools. A leader in the education community, Chris has served as President of the Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association, Co-Editor of the Canadian Journal of Education, and is now Lead Editor of the journal, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice.

Research Interests

Exploring pre-service and in-service teacher education in assessment literacy and assessment education
Rethinking classroom assessment theory and practice to support teaching and learning
Inclusive and innovative classroom assessment practices that support all learners
Using validity theory in educational assessment, programming, and research

Recent Books

DeLuca, C., & White, K. (2026). The Learning Pivot: Turning Assessment into Action. Indianna: Solution Tree Press.

Wearing, J., DeLuca, C., & MacGregor, S. (2026). The Prosperous PhD: Secrets to Success from Top Supervisors. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

DeLuca, C. (2026). Room Enough for All. Lawley Publishing. (Children’s Book)

DeLuca, C., Willis, J., Harrison, C., Cowie, B., & Coombs, A. (2023). Learning to assess: Cultivating assessment capacity in teacher education. Singapore: Springer.

Select Publications

DeLuca, C., Volante, L., & Holden, M. (2026). The AI3 model: Future directions for artificial intelligence, assessment innovation, and academic integrity. Educational Researcher, 55(2), 125-133.

Ge, J., DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Carbone, K. (2026). Learning through tensions: student teacher assessment identity development. Teachers and Teaching, 1-19.

DeLuca, C., Holden, M., & Rickey, N. (2024). From challenge to innovation: A grassroots study of teachers’ classroom assessment innovations. British Educational Research Journal, 51, 93-114.

DeLuca, C., Dubek, M., & Rickey, N. H. (2024). How hermeneutics can guide grading in integrated STEAM education: An evidence-informed perspective. British Educational Research Journal, 50, 1263-1280.

Volante, L., DeLuca, C., Barnes, N., Birenbaum, M., Kimber, M., Koch, M., Looney, A., Poskitt, J., Smith, K., & Wyatt-Smith, C. (2024). International trends in the implementation of assessment for learning revisited: Implications for policy and practice in a post-COVID world. Policy Futures in Education, 23(1), 224-242.

Dubek, M., Rickey, N. H., & DeLuca, C. (2024). Balancing disciplinary and integrated learning: How exemplary STEM teachers negotiate tensions of practice. School Science and Mathematics 124(4), 249-265.

Rasooli, A., & DeLuca, C. (2024). A critical review of fairness from multiple perspectives: Implications for classroom assessment theory. Applied Measurement in Education, 37(2), 148–164.

Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., Wickstrom, H., Danniels, E., & Fesseha, E. (2023). Play-based learning and assessment practices in early years: Methodological explorations. Educational Research, 65(2), 248-266.

Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., Wickstrom, H., & Danniels, E. (2022). Connecting kindergarten teachers’ play-based learning profiles and their classroom assessment practices. Teaching and teacher Education, 119.

Coombs, A., & DeLuca, C. (2022). Mapping the constellation of assessment discourses: a scoping review study on assessment competence, literacy, capability, and identity. Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability, 34, 279–301.

DeLuca, C., Ge, J., Searle, M., Carbone, K., & LaPointe-McEwan, D. (2021). Toward a pedagogy for slow and significant learning about assessment in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education 101.

Volante, L., DeLuca, C., Baker, E., Harju-Luukkainen, H., Heritage, M., Schneider, C., Stobart, G., Tan, K., Wyatt-Smith, C., & Adie, L. (2020). Synergy and tension between large-scale and classroom assessment: International trends. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 39, 21-29.

DeLuca, C., Pyle, A., Valiquette, A., & LaPointe-McEwan, D. (2020). New directions for kindergarten education: Embedding assessment in play-based learning. Elementary Schools Journal, 120(3), 455-479.

Supervision

Current Students

Sumaiya Chowdhury
Nicole Leach
Mackenzie Crawford
Laura Shannon
Farid Bashiri
Amanda Watson
Megan Bylsma
Lydia Scholle-Cotton
Yue Gu
Luisa De Oliveira Werneck Rodrigues

Alumni

Nathan Rickey (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Michael Holden (SSHRC Graduate Fellowship, PhD)
Jenny Ge (SSHRC Graduate Felloship, PhD)
Christine Romain-Tappin (SSHRC Graduate Fellowship, PhD)
Heather Braund (SSHRC Graduate Fellowship)
Suparna Roy (SSHRC CGS Fellowship)
Adelina Valiquette (SSHRC Graduate Fellowship)
Andrew Coombs (SSHRC CGS Fellowship)
Nathan Rickey (SSHRC Graduate Fellowship, PhD)
Amir Rasooli (International Fellowship, PhD)
David Baidoo-Anu (PhD)
Agnieszka Chalas (SSHRC Graduate Fellowship, PhD)
Murdoch Matheson (PhD)
Nathan Rickey (SSHRC CGS Fellowship, MEd)
Ephraim Nukpetsi (MEd)
John Duclos (MEd)
Andrew Coombs (SSHRC CGS Fellowship, MEd)
Lalai Abbas (MEd)
Bing Bai (MEd)
Jessika Diakun (MEd)
Meaghan Low (MEd)
Cheng Zhou (MEd)
Paul Vernon (SSHRC CGS Fellowship, MEd)

Courses Taught

Graduate

EDUC 940: Educational Assessment
EDUC 910: The Traditions of Curriculum
EDUC 809: Assessment of Student Growth and Achievement
EDUC 802: Contemporary Curriculum Theory
EDUC 895: Qualitative Research Methods
GDPI/PME 801: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment
GDPI/PME 802: Program Inquiry & Evaluation
EDF 6931: Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (Department of Measurement & Research, College of Education, University of South Florida)
EDF 7910: Doctoral Directed Research in Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (Department of Measurement & Research, College of Education, University of South Florida)

Undergraduate

EDST 408: Elementary Classroom Assessment Practices
EDST 409: Secondary Classroom Assessment Practices
EDST 210: Classroom Assessment Practices
EDST 410: Classroom Assessment Practices for Elementary & Secondary Teacher Candidates
FOUN 101: Foundations of Assessment
PROF 311: Critical Issues in Education
PROF 191: Theory and Professional Practice
PROF 150: Assessment and Evaluation Module (PJ)
PROF 155: Assessment and Evaluation Module (IS)
EDF 4430: Measurement for Teachers (Department of Measurement & Research, University of South Florida)

Continuing Teacher Education

CONT 811: Student Assessment and Evaluation