Assessment certification of young people and adults, experience and knowledge in the field of science: notes for curriculum and assessment policies

ABSTRACT The verification and subsequent certification of knowledge developed by youths and adults has historically been done through supplementary examinations and, since the early 2000s, through the National Examination for the Certification of Youth and Adult Skills (Encceja). We present here a reflection on how knowledge related to the school subject of Science is addressed in this examination. Our concern is over the relationship between knowledge and experience and the role that language plays in the expression of this knowledge. Our interest lies in conducting an exercise, considering the context of the circulation of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) to visualize how the discourses that comprise these documents allow us to question the place of the specific characteristics of the subjects of Youth and Adult Education (YAE) in the production of what counts as knowledge.