The article presents a challenge of the instructional process that educators are facing in measuring and issuing value judgments regarding the development of school competencies as the outputs of the educational systems in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. It is structured into two parts and covers the realm of new theoretical approaches to school assessment and examples of best practices in the process of developing research/investigation competencies throughout the cycles of schooling. Assessing the competency of investigation through research projects represents a crucial method of deeply evaluating students' attitudes, skills, and knowledge in the field of scientific research. This assessment approach emphasizes students' ability to apply investigative methods in a real context, formulate and respond to research questions, and develop critical and analytical skills.