Which one is Formative Assessment?

During the final quarter of 2018, I had the privilege of engaging with some of my colleagues during 16 synchronous sessions, followed up with activities on the learning management system. In this post, I've shared extracts from the first engagement session, which focused on Formative Assessments, hence the title of the posting. Which of the two pictures (chef or customers) below is an example of formative assessment?

If you guessed that the picture with the chef tasting the food is an example of formative assessment, then you are correct. Here are two definitions of formative assessment as put forward by Dillian Wiliam (2011):

• “…encompassing all those activities undertaken by teachers, and/or by their students, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged”.

• The process used by teachers and students to recognise and respond to student learning in order to enhance that learning, during the learning (Cowie and Bell, as cited in Wiliam, 2011).

Other definitions of formative assessment include:

• An active and intentional learning process that partners the teacher and the students to continuously and systematically gather evidence of learning with the express goal of improving student achievement (Moss, 2009).

• The assessment of student learning integrated into the act of teaching (Gareis & Grant, 2015).

From the definitions and based on the scenario, teaching is a contingent activity; therefore, we cannot predict what students will learn as a result of any particular sequence of instruction. Formative assessment involves getting the best possible evidence about what present students have learned and then using this information to decide what to do next for them. Moreover, formative assessment should take place during the instructional process to improve teaching or learning, to identify learning need and adjust teaching appropriately.

Feedback, when used as part of a formative assessment system, is a powerful way to improve student achievement. Feedback has no effect in a vacuum, and there must be a learning context to which feedback is applicable (Frey & Douglas, 2011).

Figure 1. A formative assessment system. Adapted from “Teacher-made assessments: how to connect curriculum, instruction and student learning,“ by C. Gareis and L. Grant (2015).

From the image, feedback is a central function of formative assessment. Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick list seven principles of good feedback practices (Canadian College of Educators, personal communication, October 7, 2018)

1. clarifies what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standards);

2. facilitates the development of self-assessment in learning;

3. provides high quality information to students about their learning;

4. encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning;

5. encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem;

6. provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance;

7. provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape teaching.

The presentation document for the engagement session also includes information regarding options for delivering formative feedback; how to recognize effective formative feedback; and how to model effective feedback. However, I will end this posting with four tips from Moss & Brookhard (2009) to recognize general useful feedback in the online classroom:

1. Students are not afraid to ask for help as needed.

2. Ungraded activities build on strengths and practice to overcome weaknesses.

3. Student self-efficacy is high.

4. Students become better at appraising their work.

If you would like to access the PPT presentation, then please send me an e-mail nicolewelsh.edu@gmail.com

References

Frey, N. and Douglas, F. (2011). The formative assessment action plan: Practical steps to more successful teaching and learning (professional development). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Gareis, C. and Grant, L. (2015). Teacher-made assessments: How to connect curriculum, instruction, and student learning. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

Moss, C.M., and Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Advancing formative assessment in every classroom: a guide for instructional leaders. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Solution Tree Press.