Formative Assessment

Why should we use formative assessments?

Checking for understanding is an important step in teaching, as it allows for and facilitates learning. Background knowledge varies widely between students and influences everything that they do and perceive around them. In fact, those background experiences are so powerful to the student, they will affect how the student comprehends and interacts with the material you are teaching. "Unless you check for understanding, it is difficult to know exactly what students are getting out of the lesson." (Fisher and Frey, 2007)

In order for students to learn, misconceptions must be confronted and eliminated. This is a crucial part to the instruction process. The learning of content knowledge is greatly increased with structured pauses in instruction to check for understanding.  "In addition, checking for understanding provides students with a model of good study skills. When their teachers regularly check for understanding, students become increasingly aware of how to monitor their own understanding" (Fisher and Frey, 2007)

We should use formative assessments to determine what level of understanding the student has in regards to lesson objectives. The results of these quick assessments should drive what instruction occurs in the classroom and what changes to that instruction need to happen. The learning cycle should include frequent checks-ins with the students to map their progress toward mastery of the content. The final unit exam should not be the first time a teacher sees student thinking in regards to a learning target. There are many ways to create quick formative assessments in the classroom. Several strategies are included below. 

What is Formative Assessment?

Formative Assessments are used to quickly inform daily instruction by providing specific, immediate and actionable feedback. Assessments may change instruction from moment-to-moment based on student understanding and ability in relation to identified learning targets. These assessments are teacher-generated and informal, allowing for responsive instruction. This process is likened to a “check up” not an “autopsy.”

3-D Formative Assessments:

With the shift from a traditional set of science standards to the Framework for K-12 Science education, there is a need to assess students in all three dimensions. Below is an article on how to create formative assessments, that are also 3-dimensional.