Formative Assessment and Assessment for Learning Essay Example For Students

Formative Assessment and Assessment for Learning Essay It is in large part responsible for the widespread focus in education on the particular kind of assessment known as formative, Their research review (AAA) examined studies that collectively encompassed kindergà ¤rtners to allege students; represented a range of subject areas including reading, writing, social studies, mathematics, and science: and were conducted in numerous countries throughout the world, including the United States. The gains reported in the studies they describe are among the largest found for any educational intervention, Typical effect sizes were between 0. And CO, In other words, the achievement gains realized by students whose teachers rely on formative assessment can range from IS to AS percentile points, or two to four grade equivalents, on commonly used standardized achievement test score scales. In broader terms, this kind of score gain, if applied to performance on recent international assessments, would move the United States rank from the middle Of the pack Of 42 nations tested to the top five (Black William, Bibb). An additional outcome common among the studies they analyzed is that certain formative assessment practices greatly increased the achievement Of IOW- performing students, in some cases to the point of approaching that of high achieving students. Not surprisingly, a plethora Of formative assessment Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning orgasm and products has surfaced, due in part to the achievement gains and gap-closing powers reported by Black and William and other researchers. The adjective formative now appears frequently in titles Of commercially prepared tests and item banks, interim and benchmark tests, short-cycle assessments, and classroom assessments. Does calling a product or practice formative make it so? Are all of the tests and practices labeled as formative truly formative? And most importantly, what is it about formative that gives it its power? What led to the gains these researchers uncovered? What Is Formative Assessment? First lets look at what is and what isnt formative. For Black and William, and for many other experts in the field, formative assessment is not an instrument or an event, but a collection of practices with a common feature: they all lead to some action that improves learning. Well-known educational researchers emphasize this point when they describe what is at the heart of formative assessment: Formative assessment, therefore, is essentially feedback (Armadas, 1983) both to the teachers and to the pupil about present understanding and skill placement in order to determine the way forward (Harlan James, 1997, p, 369). Deformation assessment] refers to assessment that is specifically intended to provide feedback on performance to improve and accelerate learning (Sadler, 1998, p. 77). An assessment is formative to the extent that information from the assessment is fed back within the System and actually used to improve the performance of the system in some way [William Alley, 2007, p. 31). Formative assessment is defined as assessment carried out during the instructional process for the purpose of improving teaching or learning.. What makes formative assessment formative is that it is immediately used to make adjustments so as to form new learning (Sheppard, 2008, p. 281). The common thread woven throughout formative assessment research, articles, and books bears repeating: it is not the instrument that is formative; it is the use of the information gathered, by whatever means, to adjust teaching and learning, that merits the formative label (Figure I . 1). Figure 1. Aggregative Assessment Gorham and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence for the purpose of improving learning In the classroom we assess formally through assignments, tests, quizzes, performances, projects, and surveys; or informally through questioning and dialogue, observing, and anecdotal note taking. In any of these instances, we may or may not be engaged in formative assessment: the determining factor is not the type of assessment we use, but rather Howe and our students use the information. Summation Assessment When the information from an assessment is used solely to make a judgment about level of competence or achievement, it is a summation assessment (Figure 1. 2). At the classroom level, an assessment is summation when it is given to determine how much students have learned at a particular point in time, for the purpose of communicating achievement status to others. The communication Figure 1. Assessments that provide evidence of student achievement for the purpose of making a judgment about student competence or program effectiveness usually takes the form of a symbol, a letter grade or number, or a comparison to a standard such as Meets the Standard or Proficient, that is reported to students and eventually to parents. Sometimes an assessment intended to be used formatively can be used cumulatively, such as when the evidence indicates hat students have attained mastery. And sometimes an assessment intended to be used cumulatively can be used formatively, such as when a test reveals significant problems with learning that we address through reattaching. At the program level, an assessment is summation when results are used to make judgments such as determining how many students are and are not meeting standards in a certain subject for purposes of accountability. The data may be reported to educators within the system, the school board, and the community, Summation assessments arent bad or wrong. Thefts just not formative: they eve a different purpose?to report out level of achievement, Misleading them as formative will not cause them to generate the achievement gains noted in research studies. Aggregative or Summation? An important reason to distinguish between formative and summation assessment is that achievement gains credited to formative assessment practices will not materialize unless certain conditions are met, and at least some of these conditions are often not met by assessments whose primary purpose is summation. The conditions are as follows: 1. . 3. The assessment instrument r event is designed 50 that it aligns directly vivid the content standards to be learned. All of the instrument or events items or tasks match vat has been or will be taught. The instrument or event provides information Of sufficient detail to pinpoint specific problems, such as misunderstandings, so that teachers can make good decisions about What actions to take, and With Whom. The results are available in time to take action with the students who generated them. Teachers and students do indeed take action based on the results. COMPASSION FOR THE SOULS WHO INHABIT HELL EssayThe seven strategies fulfill Saddlers three conditions, phrased as questions from the students point of view: Where am going? : Where am I now? ; and How can close the gap? As you read through these strategies, note that many are not new ?they reflect practices that have been around for years (Figure 1. 4). What may be new is their intentional use, focusing on the student as the most influential decision maker in your classroom. Where Am I Going? Strategy 1: Provide students with a clear and understandable vision of the learning target, Motivation and achievement both increase when instruction is guided by clearly fined targets. Activities that help students answer the question, Whats the learning? Et the stage for all further formative assessment actions, 11 Figure Strategy I: Provide students With a clear and understandable vision Of the learning target. Strategy 2: Use examples and models of strong and weak work. Where Am I Now? Str ategy 3: Offer regular descriptive feedback. Strategy 4: Teach students to self- assess and set goals. How Can Close the Gap? Strategy 5: Design lessons to focus on one learning target or aspect of quality at a time, Strategy 6: Teach students focused revision, Strategy 7: Engage students n sellreflection, and let them keep track of and share their learning. Source: Adapted with permission from R, J. Stinging, J, A Rater,J. Chapeaus, and S, Chapeaus, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right?using It Well (Portland, OR: TEST Assortment Training Institute, 2004), p. 42. Strategy 2: use examples and models of strong and weak work. Carefully chosen examples of the range of quality can create and refine students understanding of the learning goal by helping students answer the questions, M/hat defines quality work? and M/hat are some problems to avoid? Where Am I NOW? Strategy 3: Offer regular descriptive feedback. Effective feedback shows students where they are on their path to attaining the intended learning. It answers for students the questions, M/hat are my strengths? ; What do need to work on? ; and Where did go wrong and what can do about it? Strategy 4: Teach students to self-assess and set goals. The information provided in effective feedback models the kind of evaluative thinking we want students to be able to do themselves. Strategy 4 teaches students to identify their strengt hs and weaknesses and to set goals for further earning It helps them answer the questions, What am I good at? ; What do need to favor on? ; and Math should I do next? How Can Close the Cap? Strategy 5: Design lessons to focus on one leaning target or aspect of quality at a time. When assessment information identifies a need, we can adjust instruction to target that need. In this sweater, we scaffold learning by narrowing the focus of a lesson to help students master a specific learning goal or to address specific misconceptions or problems. Strategy 6: Teach students focused revision. This is a companion to Strategy 5?when a concept, skill, or competence proves official for students, we can let them practice it in smaller segments, and give them feedback on just the aspects they are practicing, This strategy allows students to revise their initial work with a focus on a manageable number of learning targets or aspects of quality. Strategy 7: Engage students in self-reflection, and let them keep track of and share their learning. Long-term retention and motivation increase when students track, reflect on, and communicate about their learning, In this strategy, students look back on their journey, reflecting on their learning and sharing their achievement with others. The seven strategies are not a recipe to be followed step by step, although they do build on one another. Rather, they are a collection of actions that Will strengthen students sense Of self-efficacy (belief that effort will lead to improvement), their motivation to try, and ultimately, their achievement. They represent a use Of assessment information that differs from the traditional practice of associating assessment with test, and test with grade. These assessment practices Will not result in more grades in the graduated.