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Characteristics and purpose of formative assessment
What is an example of a formative assessment
Discussion of key elements of formative assessment and how to best enhance the benefits of using it
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1. Give two examples of how formative assessment can help student learning. (40-60 words)
Formative assessments are a great way to give feedback while instruction is still going on. That way students can know if they are understanding what the lesson is about. These kind of assessments are great because it helps students know how to improve on their strengths.
2. Give two examples of how formative assessment can help a teacher modify their instruction. (50-70 words)
Another great thing about formative assessment is that not only it gives feedback to the student, it also gives feedback to the teacher. Once the teacher knows what the student is having trouble with, the teacher will be able to help the student understand the instructions.
Elwood, J. (2006). Formative assessment: possibilities, boundaries and limitations. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 215-232, doi:10.1080/09695940600708653
Formative assessment to inform instruction and guide student learning is being underutilized. Many students are not given feedback that is effective in helping them see where they are in regard to reaching the learning goals or that provides plan for moving them forward to achieve that goal. Students are not always given the opportunity to take an active role in the learning process by regularly assessing themselves and their peers as they work to achieve their learning goals. The purpose of this study is to determine how the use of formative assessment with immediate feedback using student response systems will impact student learning. This study will also investigate the effect that student involvement in self-evaluation has on learning.
Formative Assessment is used in any classroom to check students understanding of a topic. The type of formative assessment used in each classroom is different, depending on the teacher and the student’s needs. Teachers should incorporate a variety of formative assessments to truly see if students are learning. Dixson and Worrell describe formative assessment as gathering data to improve student learning. They are correct but teachers also need to provide students with feedback. Feedback gives students a better idea of what concepts they need to work on in class. There are many ways to integrate formative assessment and feedback into the classroom.
Although somewhat vague compared to summative assessment, several key features help frame formative assessment. First, formative assessment happens while learning is taking place as opposed to at the end of content delivery. Rather, this is considered “assessment for learning,” (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., & Arter, 2012, pg. 5). The format is formal or informal, but the outcome in its use is an in-progress check of what students know and what students do not know. Chappuis, Stiggins, Chappuis, and Arter (2012) define formative assessment as, “Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence for the purpose of improving learning,” (pg. 24). Second, this type of assessment is used to make instructional strategy adjustments. If student learning did not happen via one instructional method, the teacher must make the necessary accommodations to reteach the concept or skill. Next, it is not only used by teachers for feedback on instruction, but formative assessment is also used for providing timely, descriptive feedback to students and extends to allow for student self-assessment (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., & Arter, 2012; Popham, 2008). Formative assessment provides opportunity to provide specific feedback to students on where they are currently in their learning, and where they should be headed.
In conclusion I feel that using effective assessment methods throughout any course allows tutors to give feedback at the right time to allow the correct progress for the learners to achieve. I have experienced feedback many times as coach and more recently as a teacher and feel it has only helped me to improve and to keep wanting to improve so I can inspire others to achieve.
... experimental teacher training to yield better results. Our classroom textbook makes note of alternative implementation approaches to support their call to action. Formative assessment is not a single entity, it states, but rather a levels approach. Where school wide implementation is necessary, along with classroom climate shift, student-learning tactic adjustment, and teacher instructional adjustment. The authors state that teachers need tremendous support, school wide implementation and training, along with adapting formative assessment to the needs of their students.
For the PDSA cycle I am going to use individual journal entries because they are engaging and interactive to every student, and they are a great tool in reflecting on what each student has learned in the lesson. “Student-centered assessments must be engaging and interactive, while incorporating sharing, trusting, team building, reflecting, helping and coaching.”(Pitas, 2000) The students will be given the freedom to write anything that is on their mind and the students will answer three questions that will help generate well thought out answers. The students will write at the very least a paragraph for each day they are learning a lesson.
Formative assessment is sometimes referred to as assessment for learning (Bell & Cowie, 2001). The purpose of formative assessment is to monitor where students are in their learning, what they need to learn next and which teaching strategies are in place (Hodgson, 2010). Formative assessment takes place over a period of time and occurs while students are learning (Raban, 2010). There are many types of formative assessment that can be used, including questioning, observation, checklists, brainstorming and card sorting (DET, n.d.). Questioning and observation were formative assessment strategies used throughout the exploration and explanation of lessons.
However, a formative assessment is ongoing and is used to check for students’ understanding throughout a lesson. Both work samples “matched learning objectives” and I was able to identify the students’ strength and weaknesses. I was also able to “analyze assessment data to understand patterns and gaps in learning” to guide my future instructions. In the word problem assessment, I recognized where the student was struggling and gave “effective and descriptive feedback” to address the area that she needs work in.
I always help students identifying their learning and progress and give them feedback. Students need to be aware of their achievement and progress. I adapt practice and plan further learning, this will make the assessment meaningful and effective as it will answer to the learner needs. 6.3 Use types and methods of assessment, including peer and self-assessment, to: - Involve learners in assessment - Meet the individual needs of learners - Enable learner's to produce assessment evidence that valid. Reliable.
A formative assessment is an assessment that truly informs instruction. It can be formal or informal, provides feedback, low level vs. high level and allows for instructional changes to be made (McMillan, J. H., 2014). The definition of a formative assessment in the article of “Attributes of Effective Formative Assessment” “is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes” (CCSSO, 2008). In this weeks recommended readings I found that formative assessments and monitoring progress go hand-in-hand. Educators and administrators can monitor and assess students learning and progress daily using ongoing
...ll ones which we had discussed during the class, with the correct definition. This enables the teacher to gauge the understanding of the pupils learning and receive immediate feedback on misinterpretations that can be addressed in the next session. It is believed that continuous implementation of this technique will enable pupils to ask better and more challenging questions that in turn will allow them to explore the subject are in more depth. Another advantage of the immediate feedback is that teachers will observe the different levels of each individual pupil and can tailor the next lesson or sequence of lessons to suit pupils at different stages of learning. Similar to self- and peer-assessment, pupils had no experience of this formative assessment technique and their opinions on its effectiveness to their learning were recorded on a questionnaire (appendix 3).
Cauley, K.H. & McMillan, J.H. (2009). Formative assessment techniques to support student motivation and achievement. Clearing House, 83(1), 1-6.
As teachers, we have to monitor the progress our students make each day, week, quarter and year. Classroom assessments are one of the most crucial educational tools for teachers. When assessments are properly developed and interpreted, they can help teachers better understand their students learning progress and needs, by providing the resources to collect evidence that indicates what information their students know and what skills they can perform. Assessments help teachers to not only identify and monitor learners’ strengths, weaknesses, learning and progress but also help them to better plan and conduct instruction. For these reasons, ongoing classroom assessment is the glue that binds teaching and learning together and allows educators to monitor their efficacy and student learning.
Formative assessments are imperative to making adjustments when teaching, while summative assessments give educators information on how effective the curriculum is. However these assessments would be unavailing if data is not collected, analyzed, and presented correctly. Data plays an essential role in teaching, as it allows educators to apply the information they collect into their classroom, but not all teachers collect data or provide feedback effectively. However, after completing the class readings and receiving feedback from my peers, I now feel confident that I have developed an effective feedback and data plan for my assessments.