Formative assessment is defined as a set of classroom procedures whereby evidence about student learning outcome is elicited, interpreted, and used by teachers, students, or their peers to make decisions about the next steps of learning and instruction that are likely to improve student learning
Strategy Overview:
What is it?
There are numerous definitions of formative assessment but perhaps the definition offered by Black (2014) is the most useful. “Assessment refers to all of those activities undertaken by teachers, and by their students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. Such assessment becomes “formative assessment’ when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet the needs.” Marzano (2012) also describes formative assessment as a process as opposed to a specific task.
How effective is it?
Professor John Hattie (2009) has provided evidence to support the view that there will be a noticeable difference to educational outcomes as a result of participating in a variety of formative assessment practices. He considers an effect size of greater than 0.4 to have a significant effect on student learning outcomes. The following teacher practices are among the top strategies listed (Hattie 2009, Appendix B):
providing formative evaluation (effect size - 0.90);
feedback (effect size - 0.73);
questioning (effect size - 0.46).
Considerations
One could argue that these practices regularly occur, however, researchers (see Black 2014) suggest that student information gained from this form of assessment does not necessarily lead to changes in teaching practice in the absence of teacher self-evaluation of lessons. This situation can be overcome by weaving formative assessment as a natural process in everyday lessons. Black (2014) certainly supports this notion when he described formative assessment as “the heart of effective teaching.”
This strategy is demonstrated when the teacher:
Keeps clear criteria for what defines good performance
Encourages students' self-reflection
Gives students detailed, actionable feedback
Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance
This strategy is not demonstrated when the teacher:
Does not provide feedback on assessments
Does not use assessment data to cater future instruction
This strategy is demonstrated when students:
Use feedback for future reference
Make adjustments to work that lead to mastery
Set goals, self-assess
Know where they are understanding
Examples that illustrate the strategy:
Example 1:
Example 2:
Continuum of Practice:
Emerging
The teacher rarely uses strategies to probe for useful evidence related to student understanding. Strategies when used tend to be convergent questions.
The teacher rarely recognizes or responds to students’ understanding in an adaptive manner. The teacher may recognize and not adapt, or may not recognize and therefore not adapt instruction.
The teacher rarely uses strategies that encourage students to become active partners (with each other and the teacher) in the teaching/learning process by providing assessment and learning opportunities.
Evolving
The teacher occasionally uses strategies to probe for evidence of student understanding. Effectiveness of these probes is mixed.
Occasionally the teacher uses assessment-elicited evidence about student understanding in a manner that demonstrates responsiveness to student needs, builds on current understanding and adapts instruction as needed.
The teacher occasionally uses strategies that encourage students to become active partners (with each other and the teacher) in the teaching/learning process by providing assessment & learning opportunities.
Embedding
The teacher consistently uses of a variety of strategies to probe for evidence of student understanding. Probes may be formal and purposely embedded or informal and “in-the-moment.” Probes are characterized by a high level of effectiveness.
Teacher uses assessment-elicited evidence about student understanding in an ongoing and regular manner that demonstrates responsiveness to student needs, builds on current understanding and adapts instruction as needed.
The teacher consistently uses strategies that encourage students to become active partners (with each other and the teacher) in the teaching-learning process by providing assessment and learning opportunities designed to foster self-awareness, self-reliance and a community or learners.
Resources:
Clear Learning Targets
Examples of K-5 Learning Targets
Examples of Strong/Weak Work
Writing example - strong/weak (video)
Regular, Descriptive Feedback
EngageNY playlist with a number of videos regarding feedback, adjusting instruction, etc.
Feedback Tools/Strategies
Google Slides and/or Forms (Branching Forms)
Add a feedback slide
Interactive Quiz - using Google Slides
Branching Google Forms to provide immediate feedback
Single-Point Rubrics
Audio Feedback
Self-Assessment & Goal-Setting
Self-assessment at elementary (video)
Using “traffic signals” as self-assessment (video)
Focused Revision
Tips for Teaching Focused Revision
Students Tracking their own data
Evidence Base: