Data-based Modifications of Formative Assessment

by: Caitlin Brady

01/03/2021

Assessment is a way to evaluate student learning, progress, and achievement. When we think of assessment, we typically think of what is called “summative assessment.” A summative assessment assesses what the students have learned. A classic unit test, mid-term, or final are all examples of a summative assessment. It is a summary of the information that the student has learned over time.

The more nebulous form of assessment is termed “formative assessment.” This is any sort of assessment of a student’s progress while they are still forming their knowledge. This can be anything from written exit tickets and worksheets to one-on-one discussions with a student and asking the kids to put their thumbs up or down to show their understanding of a topic. It is anything that helps you, as the teacher, figure out how the students are doing with a particular lesson. If you have ever realized that one student is struggling and needs more help, you’ve performed formative assessment.

There are three basic principles of formative assessment.

The assessment should be focused on the individual students not the students as a whole.
The results of the assessment should inform the future course of the teacher’s instruction.
The assessment should be based on the learning outcomes of the lesson.

Being conscious of the amount of time that it takes to obtain and provide feedback is very important. Methods of formative assessment with quick turn around on useful feedback can be some of the most efficient methods of assessment for both the instructor and the student. It is not only important to use formative assessment for the instructional side of education, but it is also important to ensure timely and effective feedback. This feedback to the students helps to inform their learning. This step is critical for their own self evaluation and success. If a student can identify where their areas that need improvement are, they can take ownership of their own progress and achievement.

Data from the formative assessment should be collected in a way that the teacher can adjust the way the trajectory of the lessons go. They should be able to use this information to individualize the students’ learning. This is what is known as differentiation. Differentiating the methods by which you teach or assess helps every student. The information that you need to do this can most easily come from your formative assessments. This can be information about how best to assess your students. Maybe some of them can’t quite write it out in a paragraph, but if you give them the opportunity to talk it out, they can demonstrate that they understand the concepts. Maybe a student struggles with complex tasks, but breaking it into manageable steps is the key to success for them. This is all information that you can learn from using various types of formative assessment. The information, or data, that you gather from these assessments will allow you to tailor your lessons to your students more effectively.

Assessing the assessment, while it sounds very meta, is also important. Regularly assessing the efficacy of these formative assessments plays an important role in maintaining efficacy of formative assessment. Getting honest and objective results from the assessment is what makes these the most effective. If students do not genuinely engage in the assessment, if they are just going through the motions of it, the data that you retrieve from the assessment is going to be inaccurate at best. There are as many methods of formative assessment as there are stars in the sky. Spice it up a little sometimes. Having four to six regular formative assessment methods will give them a comfortable foundation in routine while keeping things changing. Adding in a new one here and there will also keep things fresh for the kids. While trying out these new ones, you will also be able to see if there are new, better ways to assess their formation. Maybe you can work one of these into your rotation.

Formative assessment is all about making your teaching and their learning more effective. It’s about opening lanes of communication for your students to show you how they succeed best.