Rich Formative Assessment: Critical Component

of Instruction

Denise WhiteWVDE Office of Instruction

Anticipation Guide

• On your table you will find a half sheet of paper.

• Read the statements and respond by marking A (Agree) or D (Disagree)

• Keep your answers private – no discussions

• Turn your papers over when finished

Discussion

As a table group, please discuss the following questions:

• When were you assessed and it was a negative experience? What made it so?

• When were you assessed and it was a positive experience? What made it so?

What is formative assessment?

Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment

• takes place during the learning process• informs both teachers and students• allows teachers to adjust instruction• involves students• cannot be separated from the instructional process• is Classroom Assessment for Learning

Formative Assessment gives teachers information that they can use to inform their teaching and improve learning while it is in progress and while the outcome of the race can still be influenced.

Laura GreensteinWhat Teachers Really Need to Know about Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

• Focuses instruction on informed priorities

• Allows for customized learning• Encourages teachers and students to

work together toward achievement• Increases student engagement and

motivation• Increases coherence between

curriculum, instruction and assessment

The Cycle of Formative Assessment

Essential Principles

Formative Assessment is–Student Focused–Instructionally Informative–Outcomes Based

Student FocusedFormative Assessment helps teachers

Consider each student’s learning needs and styles and adapt instruction

Track individual student achievement Provide appropriately challenging

instructional activities Design student assessments Offer all students opportunities for

improvement through descriptive feedback

Instructionally Informative

Formative Assessment Provides a way to align standards,

content, and assessment Allows for purposeful selection of

strategies Embeds assessment in instruction Guides instructional decisions

Outcomes BasedFormative Assessment

Emphasizes learning outcomes Makes goals and objectives transparent

to students Provides clear assessment criteria Closes the gap between what students

know and desired outcomes Provides feedback that is relevant,

comprehensible, actionable Provides valuable diagnostic information

by generating informative data

Formative Assessment focuses on achieving goals rather than determining if a goal was or was not met.

Research

“Formative Assessment shows an effect size of between .4 and .7, the equivalent of going from the 50th percentile to the 65th percentile.”

Paul Black & Dylan Wiliam, 1998“Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards

Through Classroom Assessment”

Why Involve Students?• Formative Assessment can

– Boost student achievement– Increase student motivation

• High School Survey of Student Engagement– 80,000 students from 19 states– Less than 50% discussed grades and/or

assignments with a teacher– Almost half did not receive prompt feedback– Only 57% contributed to class discussions– Only half got to make choices about what they

study– Findings: Providing frequent feedback and

choices through formative assessment can help students see progress and feel supported, often changing their motivation. (Heritage, 2007)

Seven Strategies• Where am I going?

1. Provide clear Learning Target2. Use exemplars of strong and weak work

• Where am I now?3. Provide descriptive feedback 4. Teach students to self-assess & set goals

• How can I close the gap?5. Design lessons to focus on one aspect6. Teach students focused revision7. Engage students in self-reflection, let them

keep track of and share their learningStiggins, 2006

Anticipation Guide

• Look at the statements again• Change any Agrees or

Disagrees based on new information you have gained• Discuss your answers with a

partner

1. Formative assessment is done at the end of the learning process.

2. Formative assessment is used only for the teacher to adjust instruction.

3. Students are graded on every formative assessment.

4. Formative instruction and instruction go hand-in-hand.

5. Formative assessment can help teachers differentiate instruction.

6. Formative assessment can affect scores on summative assessments.

Where Can Teachers Find More about Formative

Assessments?

http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21

Frayer Model

• Take a blank sheet of paper• Fold it in half, then in half again• Bend the corner in• Open it flat and write Formative

Assessment in the center diamond• Label sections as shown on next slide

Formative Assessment

Definition in your own words: Facts/ Characteristics:

Examples: Nonexamples:

Inside Outside Circle

• Count off 1, 2, 1, 2 …….• 1s form a circle with your back to the

inside• 2s find a partner who is a 1 and face

them forming an outside circle• Be prepared to discuss with your

partner when the teacher directs

3-2-1 Exit Slip

• Take an index card from the table

• 3 Things you learned about Formative Assessment

• 2 Strategies that you think will be valuable to teachers

• 1 Question you still may have

Formative Assessment used during this presentation

• Anticipation Guide• Think-Pair-Share• Discussion• Frayer Model• Inside – Outside Circle• Observation• Exit Slip

Questionsabout

FormativeAssessment