“Providing a framework for improving student performance – instead of simply ‘labeling’ learning at periodic intervals – has the greatest capacity to impact student achievement.”
Robert Marzano
WHAT IS FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT?
A systematic on-going process used by teachers and students to:
- Gather evidence of learning (through multiple strategies)
- Utilize data to improve teaching and learning
- Provide meaningful feed-up, feed-back, and feed-forward
- Engage students in learning and monitoring
Essential Elements
- Targets, goals, and expected outcomes are clear and comprehensible
- Criteria are clear for reaching targets and achieving goals
- Exemplars and strategies for success are identified
- Teaching, learning, and assessing are intertwined
- Built on students current knowledge and skills and identification of next steps
- Evidence is elicited throughout learning
- Students are actively involved and informed of progress
- Requires students to take responsibility for learning
- Feedback, reflection, self, and peer-assessment are key elements
- Opportunities for improvement are available
- Learning culture supports exploration and growth
Formative assessment forms, informs, and guides curricular and instructional decisions with an orientation towards progress and success.
CYCLE OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Standards/Objectives/Goals
- Pre-assessment
Guides Steps in Teaching and Learning
- Assessment During Learning
Informs Teaching and Learning Practices
- Assessment at the Conclusion
Review and Reinforce Learning
- Redefine Goals and Reset Targets
“The achievement gains associated with formative assessment have been described as ‘among the largest ever reported for educational interventions'”. OECD
COMPELLING EVIDENCE
- Ruth Butler (1986) Students given only comments scored on average 30% higher.
- Sadler (1989) “It is insufficient to simply point out right and wrong answers to students.” “FA can short-circuit the randomness and inefficiency of trial and error learning.”
- Kluger & DeNisi (1996) “Positive learning outcomes were more likely when feedback focused on the features of the task.”
- Black and Wiliam (1998) Formative assessment shows an effect size of between .4 and .7 the equivalent of going from the 50th percentile to the 65th.
- Stiggins (2001) “Very few teachers have been given the opportunity to learn about principles of sound assessment practice.”
- Ainsworth and Viegut (2006) “ Formative assessment can: determine what standards students already know and to what degree; decide what changes in instruction to make; and inform students about their progress.”
- National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) “FA leads to increased precision in how instructional time is used.”
- John Hattie (2009) Feedback, as a FA, has an effect size of 1.13. The equivalent of one standard deviation.
- Marzano (2010) “It is a contradiction to use ‘off the shelf’ formative assessment.”
A SPECTRUM OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
HOW TO USE IT
ON THE SPOT When students’ understanding is uncertain |
PRE-PLANNED CLASSROOM Embedded in lesson: For example-Routine pre-assessments |
COMMON FORMATIVE Collaboratively developed and assessed by teachers in similar content/grade level |
WHEN TO USE IT
BEFORE LEARNING Targets/Exemplars KWL Post-its Graffiti Wall Corners |
DURING LEARNING Grab Bag Signaling Graphic Organizer Bump in the Road |
AFTER LEARNING 3-2-1 Exit Slip Nutshell Students Generated Questions |
RESPONDING TO FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
EVIDENCE: Prior scores, Standardized scores, Pre-assessment data, Response to formative actions
ACTIVATION POINT: How many students? At what level of mastery?
AUDIENCE: Individual, Small Group, Whole Class
ADJUSTMENTS to Teaching and Learning:
- Content
- Level/Intensity of Instruction
- Acquisition vs. application strategies
- Pacing
- Difficulty
- Scaffolds and support
- Differentiate
- Regroup
- Individual/small group interventions
- Guided practice
- Purposeful technologies