Programming learning: what tools to evaluate computational thinking development in school?

Despite the introduction of computer programming in school curricula, there are still many uncertainties about the means used to assess its learning. One of the main purposes of learning programming is to master computational thinking, whose development would constitute a major educational challenge for the decades to come. This article therefore proposes to review the tools for assessing computational thinking skills and their limitations. Various approaches are discussed: self-assessment scales, tools for analyzing the code produced by the student, problem-solving tasks. The importance of distinguishing between conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills in the construction of these tools is addressed. The aim of this article is to provide researchers and teachers with a synthesis of the different approaches available to assess the development of computational thinking in a school context.