Main Body
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment refers to the ongoing process that teachers and students engage in when selecting a learning goal(s), taking stock of current student performance is in relation to the goal, and the action steps needed to move students closer to the goal. This ongoing process is implemented through formative assessments, assessments that can easily be incorporated in the day-to-day classroom activities and that measure the students’ performance and progress. Informal assessments are content and performance driven and include questioning of and discussion with students, student work (exit slips; assignments), and direct observation of students working. Rather than being used for grading, this ongoing formative assessment (that gather data for learning) is used to inform instructional planning decisions. Unlike formative assessments, summative assessments (that gather data of learning) are used to assess students’ academic achievement and evaluate how students perform when compared to a larger group of students. These formal assessments include standardized tests that are graded in a formulated manner (ie: criterion-referenced tests, norm-referenced tests, achievement tests, and aptitude tests). Assessments implemented following completion of units of study/learning are also often referred to as summative. These are the classroom assessments that are graded, showing students’ levels of mastery of a unit of content when it has been completed.
Formative assessment data is used to guide instruction. It is collected in a pre-assessment prior to the creation of lesson objectives and instructional activities (as outlined in the previous chapter), as well as throughout a lesson (informally during learning activities and often through a post assessment implemented in the closing of a lesson. This formative data is informative regarding students’ current performance related to the content standard/objective. As addressed in chapter two, the resulting assessment data must be organized and analyzed to effectively inform the appropriate ‘next steps’ in moving students towards their academic goals. Knowing details regarding exactly what students understand/can do guides the determination of appropriate lesson objectives (and often flexible groupings) for subsequent lessons.
This cycle of formative assessment continues throughout a unit of instruction, which often ends with a summative assessment of learning.
(What Teachers Really Need to Know About Formative Assessment by Laura Greenstein, ASCD)
Organizing Data
It is expected that assessments implemented in the closing of a lesson clearly align with, or target, the lesson’s objective. Numerical data that can be analyzed and reflected upon must be presented. Additionally, qualitative data (often in the form of descriptive observation notes) is critical to modifying instruction according to students’ needs. This feedback should be collected in an organized manner so that it may