Formative Assessments PDF

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Formative Assessments and Their Uses There are many different forms of assessment in the educational world. Formative assessments are one particular form of assessment that is most commonly used by teachers to get an idea of a student’s existing knowledge on a subject so that he or she may adjust their lessons accordingly (Lamprianu & Athanasau, 2009). In many ways, it can be argued that formative assessments are more formative for teachers than for students. However, that does not mean that students themselves cannot also benefit from such forms of assessment. Formative assessments can be formal or informal, but are usually used before introducing new content as a way for teachers to determine things like existing knowledge or experience on a subject. For example, in a history class, before introducing a lesson on the Revolutionary War, a teacher might lead a classroom discussion to get an idea of students’ prior knowledge. Another example of a formative assessment might be a science teacher giving a math test at the beginning of the year to get a better idea of how much math background he or she needs to provide in their lessons. Formative assessments can also be used at different points throughout the learning process so that teachers may judge progress and provide feedback. In fact, Shute (2008) shows that the use of formative assessment and feedback, when done in a positive and nonjudgmental way, can lead to improved performance in students by reinforcing their strengths and giving them guidance to master the aspects of learning a concept that seem more difficult. From this perspective, it would seem that formative assessments are primarily a tool for use by teachers. While these are all examples of formative assessments used by teachers to shape the teaching process, students themselves can also obtain benefits from formative assessments. Clark (2012) explored how students can benefit from both internal and external formative assessment. For example, an internal formative assessment might come from doing

poorly on a practice test, giving a student a better idea of what material they need to study for the final test. Alternatively, a teacher might give feedback on either formal or informal assessments that helps to clarify misunderstandings or wrong ideas. Clark (2012) showed that when teachers provided positive feedback on formative assessments, this aided students in their own process of using formative assessments to determine which topics to focus on. One of the key elements of the study was that positive formative assessment seemed to encourage a feedback cycle. When students did not feel negativity about their perceived limitations in the classroom, they were more willing to put in the time themselves to figure out what topics they need to focus on. In essence, it is a process in which teacher-guided learning can become self-guided learning. This shows that formative assessments can absolutely be as formative for students as they are for teachers. Formative assessments can be absolutely critical tools for both teachers and students throughout the learning process. While teachers can use formative assessment to guide their lesson planning, students can use it to help guide their studying. However, it is important to keep in mind that formative assessment is only one of many tools in a teacher’s supply kit, and that the benefits that can be gained from it depend on how a teacher uses those assessments to connect with their students. References Clark, I. (2012). Formative Assessment: Assessment Is for Self-regulated Learning. Educational Psychology Review, 24(2), 205–249. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43546787 Lamprianu, I., & Athanasau, J. (2009). A teacher’s guide to classroom assessment. Sense Publishers. Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on Formative Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153–

189. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40071124...