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Key elements of formative assessment and how it meets its principal purpose
Discussion of key elements of formative assessment and how to best enhance the benefits of using it
Discussion of key elements of formative assessment and how to best enhance the benefits of using it
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Formative assessment is the process of assessing while the task is being performed or while the information is being taught to the students (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p. 141). This means that assessment happens through every stage of teaching. There is much debate between educators and non-educators alike on what is the best form of formative assessment to give. There are teachers that believe most formative assessment should be graded so they give motivation to students where others believe that the best formative assessment happens through observations, short discussions, or quizzes that are not graded. The best thing to do is find the best way implement formative assessment. Technology has become such a prominent tool in the world today.
Formative Assessment- There are a number of formative assessment that are used. The first one is the list created on the first day after reading the passage along with student participation on sharing their findings the following day on day two. Student participation in day six when sharing their papers and the write up of a peer’s paper will be used for a formative assessment. All of these are graded on accuracy and completion and will be worth five points each.
This article, initiated by the Assessment Group of the British Educational Research Association, focuses on how improving formative assessment raises standards and how there is still room for improvement. It discusses the importance of self and peer assessments and effective teaching. They also identified four ways to implement classroom policies to improve formative assessment.
The district is now making all teachers use an assessment tool called iReady. It is a website that assesses students in math and reading. They are first tested on a kindergarten through fifth grade range to find out what they know. Then the program takes that score and determines the right level for the child and they are tested again on the level. Once all students have been assessed the program orders the students from highest to lowest and by average grade level skill they are on: early second grade, middle second grade, late second grade or any other grade. The teacher uses those scores to create her reading groups, math groups and the students she will give extra assistance to. They haven’t officially established how many times and when they will do this iReady assessment but for now they are doing it once a week for forty five minutes. The test also flags if they spent too long or too little time on a question. The ones that spent less than 15 seconds per problem are to go back and do the assessment again.
Elwood, J. (2006). Formative assessment: possibilities, boundaries and limitations. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 215-232, doi:10.1080/09695940600708653
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.
When I was writing my myth I had a lot of fun. There were some parts that were challenging. I think that the most challenging part was either choosing what the natural phenomenon was or choosing the name. When i was choosing the phenomenon I had to pick the right one. Not one that would be really boring to read but one that would be exciting. So I was thinking about rain. The next part to me would be very hard. Choosing the names. I wanted a name that had water in it, Hydra, and then I just added another part in, Felisa.
I’ve always been taught that no matter the task ahead, if you put your mind to reaching your goal then you shall succeed. The question whether the grading scale should be more rigorous or stay the same as it is now, is quite a difficult question. I personally believe that only some of the grading system should be changed, this reason being because of immense pressure put on college students in attempt to complete all their assignments. College is not a large social party, it’s a place that you come and learn. Making friends in college is great but that’s not what it’s entirely about. You cannot expect to go into a job setting and get accoladed for performing poorly; your boss will not tolerate this behavior and most likely you would eventually
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.
Should teachers be graded on their own teaching skills? That’s the question that has been going around for quite some time now. Teachers should be graded because it allows the teachers to see their progress over the years, teaching can then be a two-way street of learning, and for their overall performance throughout the year. This would help registration for teachers transferring schools, and would help advisors pick the right teacher for the job. If students grade the teacher, they would be able to read what the students say, and improve on the skills that they might be missing.
Black, Paul. (2003). The Nature and Value of Formative Assessment for Learning. Improving Schools. 6 (3) 7-22
Assessment is one of those words that have multiple meanings, but for this purpose, it is a process that evaluates what the learner knows, understand and how they utilized the obtained knowledge. Assessment can be formative or summative. Formative assessments are those evaluations that are administered at the beginning or during the program. However, this form of testing allows for the monitoring of learning progress during instruction. Summative, on the other hand, is of a comprehensive nature and is given at the end of a course or unit of instruction. This form of assessment is used to evaluate mastery or/and assign grades. Also, assessment is not limited to the school environment; it is utilized in the professional arena as well.
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.
Assessment is a tool used in the classroom every day. It is used to measure a student’s mastery of a skill or knowledge of a given subject. It is also what demonstrates to the teacher what the students have learned. Educators use that information to determine if they need to re-teach to a specific student, group, or the entire class. They can also use that information to determine the rate of their teaching. Assessments are important because, as teachers, we need to know what difficulties our students have and what needs to be refined for them. While I do believe in assessment and feel that it is one of the key components of teaching, I am more concerned with a child’s process of learning rather than the overall product that comes from it. This is where grades come in for me. Grades determine the students’ level of mastery on a subject, nothing more. Grades should not be the exclusive indicators that a student has learned the information that is presented to them. It is the things a student learns along the way that truly matter and sometimes cannot be measured.
Students entering college for the first time look forward to the numerous tests that they are required to take least of all. Test taking and college are in tandem for many, but some debate that using testing as a grading system should be discontinued in universities. In theory it sounds like a great idea. It would cut back on stress and, more than likely, class time as well. However, stopping testing as a form of grading in universities would be soon regretted. Grading systems are an essential part of any education. Tests insure that that the student is learning what the teaching is teaching and identify areas that may need improving. The results from grading systems also show future employers or schools a glimpse of the kind of worker that a student will be. The numerous lists of positive effects on not only the students but the teachers, and even the university as a whole, outweigh the cons of using testing as a grading system.