Chapter 5 Formative Assessment: Guiding Student Learning Lacey Jones Gina Nichols EDS 846 Principles of Assessment Design and Application Dr. Engram
What is Formative Assessment? Checking to see if students understand a topic. How we, as teachers, assess our students without grading them. Actions used to “gauge” where students are in their learning process.
What is Formative Assessment?...cont. A way for teachers to review student progress or lack of progress. A way for teachers to test themselves in their teaching procedures. A way for teachers to give students feedback in their lessons in order to help the students do better the next time.
Formative Assessment vs. Summative Assessment Formative assessment is not a grade. It is simply feedback for the students and the teacher. Summative assessment is the grade students receive.
Examples of Formative Assessment… Observations Checklist Questioning Interviews Rubrics Student evidence Pre-test/pre-quiz Many, many more
Selecting Assessment Tools Every teacher needs to have as many assessment tools as possible to choose from. You never know when you may need a different type of assessment to use. Find assessment tools that work well together. Make sure they provide useful information for the student as well as the teacher.
Examples of Formative Assessment from the Chapter… Riding a bicycle. – We do not simply put a child on a bike and say go for it. Then when they are not able to ride it, tell them that they are not allowed to ever ride by themselves again. – We have to show them and guide them in how to ride by themselves. – Sometimes it takes countless times to get it right.
Examples of Formative Assessment from the Chapter…cont. Cell diagram in a sixth grade science class. – We walk around and observe what they are doing and how they are doing it. – We question them as to what they are doing and why they did what they did. – We tell them what they need to do to correct what is wrong. – We show them a correct diagram for them to go by.
Examples of Formative Assessment from the Chapter…cont How to toss a tennis ball for a serve. – We have to show them. – We have to tell them. – We have to guide them. – We have to correct them. – And maybe even repeat all of the above. CORRECTIVE BEHAVIOR