Why formative assessment

Formative assessments are generally low stakes , which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:. The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. Ask students to write a summary sentence that answers the "who, what where, when, why, how" questions about the topic. Provide students with common or predictable misconceptions about a specific principle, process, or concept.

Ask them whether they agree or disagree and explain why. Simply observing the actions, behaviors, and words of students can provide a wealth of valuable data and serve as a formative assessment. You can take notes as they conference with one another, pair and share, or engage in collaborative learning groups lab projects, literature circles, etc.

What to look for? If there are small group conversations happening, and they are successfully applying the new learning, not just one student is talking; they are talking over each other, and they are animated with body, hands and eyes. On the other hand, if it is quiet during this talk time, and they are watching you watch them, they are most likely lost. Put a check by each child you hear share so you can see how many you heard versus how many get it.

If I have 17 names with checks after them, but only four check-plus marks, it's time to review or re-teach. How do you check for understanding with your students?

What are some formative assessments that you find fun, engaging, and effective? Please share with us your thoughts, ideas and expertise! Formative assessment is more than providing feedback from teacher to student. The process should also involve students collaborating with each other, asking questions, making observations, celebrating successes, and suggesting improvements in ways that support them in attaining challenging learning goals.

Using actionable feedback. Once learning evidence is collected, teachers work with students to ensure that they have both the time and processes to apply feedback in ways that move learning forward. Responding by adjusting learning strategies or next instructional steps. To make the process effective, we must collaborate with students to use evidence and insights to propel learners toward shared and personal short- and long-term goals. Ready for more?

Recommended for you. Article The ABCs of reading Effective literacy instruction must rely on the science of reading and best practices in balanced literacy. Rather, they serve as practice for students, just like a meaningful homework assignment. They check for understanding along the way and guide teacher decision making about future instruction; they also provide feedback to students so they can improve their performance.

Educational consultant Rick Stiggins suggests "the student's role is to strive to understand what success looks like and to use each assessment to try to understand how to do better the next time.

When I work with teachers during staff development, they often tell me they don't have time to assess students along the way. They fear sacrificing coverage and insist they must move on quickly. Yet in the rush to cover more, students are actually learning less.

Without time to reflect on and interact meaningfully with new information, students are unlikely to retain much of what is "covered" in their classrooms. Formative assessments, however, do not have to take an inordinate amount of time. While a few types such as extended responses or essays take considerably more time than others, many are quick and easy to use on a daily basis.

On balance, the time they take from a lesson is well worth the information you gather and the retention students gain. The National Forum on Assessment suggests that assessment systems include opportunities for both individual and group work.

Listening in on student partners or small-group conversations allows you to quickly identify problems or misconceptions, which you can address immediately. If you choose a group assessment activity, you will frequently want to follow it up with an individual one to more effectively pinpoint what each student needs.

Often, the opportunity to work with others before working on their own leads students toward mastery. The group assessment process is part of the learning; don't feel you must grade it. The individual assessment that follows can remain ungraded, as well, although it will be most useful if you provide some feedback to the learner, perhaps in the form of a brief comment or, at the very least, a check, check-plus or check-minus, with a brief verbal explanation about what each symbol indicates You have mastered the skill , You need more practice, etc.

Using at least one formative assessment daily enables you to evaluate and assess the quality of the learning that is taking place in your classroom and answer these driving questions: How is this student evolving as a learner?

What can I do to assist this learner on his path to mastery? I have chosen a variety of quick ways for you to check for understanding and gather "evidence" of learning in your classroom. The quick formative assessments found within this book are designed for easy implementation in any classroom. Almost all can be used, with a little modification, throughout grades and across the curriculum. A few are better for either younger or more sophisticated learners.

Each strategy is labeled for easy identification by grade level on the list of strategies. For each strategy, I provide the following. One of the easiest formative assessments is the Exit Card. Exit Cards are index cards or sticky notes that students hand to you, deposit in a box, or post on the door as they leave your classroom.