Understanding the Role of Understanding the Role of Formative Assessment in Formative Assessment in

Planning InstructionPlanning Instruction

Understanding the Role of Understanding the Role of Formative Assessment in Formative Assessment in

Planning InstructionPlanning InstructionBeth Estill Beth Estill

Formative Assessment: Definition by W. James Popham

“Formative Assessment is a planned process in which assessment-elicited evidence of students’ status is used

by teachers to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures or by students to adjust their current learning

tactics.”

What does it mean? Formative assessment is a process, not a particular test. It is used by both teachers and students. Formative assessment takes place during instruction. It provides assessment-based feedback to teachers and students. The purpose of the feedback is to help teachers and students make

adjustments that will improve students’ achievement. W. James Popham; 2008

Making the Most of Formative Assessments

Develop learning progressions as the framework.

Identify intended learning target and the necessary subskills or building blocks.

Plan formative assessments of subskills before proceeding to the next building block in the learning progression.

W. James Popham; 2008

Creating a Learning Progression

1. Identify the intended learning target. Develop a complete and thorough understanding.

Example:

Nonfiction: The students will be able to identify the main idea of a piece of nonfiction text.

2. Identify the building blocks needed to acquire the learning target.

Look at specific grade level information on the Standards of Learning.

Creating a Learning Progression

Creating a Learning Progression

3. Determine how each building block will be assessed; both formal and or informal to determine mastery.

Creating a Learning Progression

4. Arrange all building blocks in an instructionally sound sequence.

Nonfiction Learning Progression

Specific Learning Target: Identify main idea sentence/summary sentence for particular piece of text

How is nonfiction organized?

Topic

Main Idea/Heading

Details

Main Idea Statement/Summary Statement

• Identify and explain the purpose of the text features

• Identify information presented in the text feature

• Understand how text and text features support each other

• Determine Importance in Text: Develop criteria questions; analyze text

• Understand categories (Understand text is organized by similar attributes/characteristics)

• Identify information that is RIGHT THERE in the text and information that is INFERRED

  

Building Blocks

• Identify a topic based on details; identify two main ideas (Headings) for each set of cards

– Create a main idea sentence based on sorted details

• Identify details that support a heading/main idea

• Skim to locate details

• Manipulate sentence strips to differentiate details from a main idea sentence

• Identify headings or main idea for specific pieces of text

Intended Learning Target: Identify the main idea or summary statement for nonfiction text

Building Blocks

Let’s Look at Some Building Block

Examples

Identify Text Features Text Feature Mat Scavenger Hunt Mix and Match: FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

INSTRUCTION

Information Learned from Nonfiction Text

Features

Determine Importance in Nonfiction Text

Sorting Important Information

Reading to Locate Important Information

Sorting Details to Write the Main Idea

Identify Details that Support a Heading and

Main Idea

Summative Assessment

Final Thoughts . . .Why are learning progressions so pivotal in the successful

implementation of formative assessment?

They are the backdrop against which teachers and students can determine when to collect what sort of evidence regarding students' learning.

They provide a framework that helps teachers identify appropriate adjustment-decision points as well as the kinds of en route assessment evidence they need.

Bibliography

W. James Popham; Transformative Assessment; 2008

W. James Popham; Transformative Assessment in Action; 2011

Reference within this presentation to any specific

commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service

by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer or otherwise does

not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation,

or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.

Beth Estillbpestill@vbschools.com