Formative Assessment

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Formative Assessment Effective Feedback
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Why Formative Assessment?
There is a body of firm evidence that formative
assessment is an essential component of classroom
work and that its development can raise standards
of achievement. We know of no other way of
raising standards for which such a strong prima
facie case can be made.
(Black Wiliam, 1998)
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Traditional Assessment Practices

• Generally encourage rote/ superficial learning
• Can predict students results on external tests,
  but provides little information about students
  learning needs
• Focus on quantity, rather than quality, of work
• Over-emphasize grading, under-emphasize learning

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Check-In Question 1
What are key features of formative assessment?
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Formative Assessment
A key characteristic of formative assessment
is that the assessment information is used, by
both teacher and pupils, to modify their work in
order to make it more effective. (Black, 1993)

• Role for both teachers and students
• Assessment information must be used to make
  adjustments to teaching learning
• Timing While learning is in progress
• Not all classroom assessments are formative!

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Formative Assessment Range of Practices
Planned-for Interaction
Embedded Assessment
Separate Assessment
On-the-Fly
INFORMAL
FORMAL
Adapted from Shavelson (2003)
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Check-In Question 2
In your subject area, what is an example of a
planned-for interaction formative assessment
opportunity?
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Check-In Question 3
In your subject area, what is an example of an
embedded formative assessment opportunity?
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Purposes of Formative Assessment

• Monitoring Learning
• Whether learning is taking place
• Diagnosing (informing) learning
• What is isnt being learned
• Forming learning
• What to do about it

Borrowed from Wiliam (2004)
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Check-In Question 4
In your subject area, how would an assessment for
diagnosing learning look different from an
assessment for monitoring learning?
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Components of Formative Assessment

• Eliciting assessment information
• Interpreting elicited assessment information
• Acting upon interpretations
• Providing feedback to students
• Reflecting upon revising teaching

Adapted from Ruiz-Primo (2005)
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Traditional Feedback

• Provides information about relative standing,
  rather than how to improve
• Reinforces to weaker students that they lack
  ability and are not able to learn

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Necessary components of good
feedback

• Sadler (1989) delineated 3 necessary components
  of feedback
• The standard which is to be achieved
• The actual level of performance
• How to go about closing the gap
• Ramaprasads (1983) definition emphasized use of
  information to close the gap

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Good feedback

• Provides specific information
  (Black, 1998 Black et al., 2004
  Bonnoil, 1991 Choi, Nam, Lee, 2001 Croocks,
  1998 Elawar Corno, 1985 Harlen James, 1997
  Mavrommatis, 1997 Sadler, 1998 Torrance
  Pryor, 2001)
• Compares student performance to clear standards,
  not to performance of others
• Is honest and authentic
• Is timely

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Steps to Providing Good Feedback

• Start with the positive
• Use specific, non-judgmental language to indicate
  areas for improvement
• Target a small number of areas where the student
  is ready to make improvement, and provide
  guidance about what to do next
• Provide an opportunity for relearning,
  correction, and revision in response to feedback

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Grades Feedback

• Students tend to ignore feedback when accompanied
  by a grade or overall judgment (Black, Harrison,
  Lee, Marshall, Wiliam, 2004)

A numerical mark or grade does not tell you what
to do if it is high, youre pleased but have no
impetus to do better, if it is low it might
confirm your belief that you are not able to
learn the subject. (Black Harrison, 2001)