[Background music] How do you know
how your students are doing? How do they know?
For Andre and his teacher, Ms. G, most of this knowledge
never goes in the gradebook, but that doesn't mean it isn't important.
Through various strategies, Ms. G is constantly assessing
how her students are learning, how quickly they're approaching
the learning targets informed by the standards.
And she invites students into the process so they are assessing their own learning.
Because the whole point is to help everyone decide what’s next.
It helps students to be actively involved in their learning – helps them
identify goals to move them forward toward college and career readiness.
And it helps Ms. G refine her instructional plan
for the next hour or the next day.
This is formative assessment, a deliberate process used by teachers
and students during instruction to provide specific, actionable,
and immediate feedback. Formative practices promote
ongoing reflection, and they're used to quickly adjust teaching and learning.
Unlike the big summative events that many people think of
when they hear the word “assessment,”
formative assessment is a process that happens every day.
It’s also the most powerful type of assessment for our students.
While the other two types of assessment primarily report on learning,
research has confirmed that formative practices can have
a direct impact on learning in significant and positive ways.
You could say formative assessment is the only type with the power
to transform student learning through instruction.
Why is that? It’s because formative assessment is really a part of instruction.
It’s teachers using their expertise to assess students
while learning is happening. Looking for patterns in student learning.
Having ongoing conversations with students about their
own learning process.
Formative feedback should be as immediate as possible
and always include specific ways an individual student can improve.
This personalizes learning. In many ways, formative assessment
is a reflective process for both teacher and student.
A defining characteristic is student self-reflection, or meta-cognition.
But students can't fully reflect on their learning
if they're not clear on what the learning target is.
Teachers play a critical role of explaining that learning goal.
So the first step in the formative assessment process
is for teachers to make sure they have a deep understanding
of what the goals really are by engaging in a thorough examination of the
standards and the knowledge, skills, and behaviors kids need for success.
The next step is to think through what proficiency in the standard
being taught really looks like, paving the way for useful feedback
and a personalized approach to learning.
If you’re like Ms. G, and if you’re like most teachers,
you use some formative techniques all the time.
It may look different from lesson to lesson,
day to day, and even from student to student.
But what is universal is that formative assessment is
purposefully designed by teachers to use within their own instruction.
Because the real power of formative assessment is in how it’s used by
students and teacher to refine the teaching and learning process.
Although a principal or other administrator certainly might
check in on formative assessment as part of coaching a teacher’s instructions,
the real purpose of formative data is for the student and teacher
to determine what’s next. So that’s the final step in
formative assessment – using this data to impact teaching and learning.
If nothing is done with the information, it isn't formative.
Every one of these steps relies on educator expertise and student voice.
You can look at formative assessment as any educator close to a child –
a classroom teacher, a librarian, a school counselor, or someone else
providing personalized instruction based on a two-way conversation
about the student’s goals and what he or she needs to get there.
This personalization improves student outcomes
and helps kids as they climb toward readiness for college and career.
Use this website to find more on formative practices,
including research and resources for classroom teachers.
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