From Formal to Formative Assessment

In my last post, I raised the question: “How can we create environments that demonstrate student learning and understanding without a reliance on traditional assessment methods?” With distance learning (or some form of blended/hybrid learning) a real possibility next school year, this shift in the student learning experience upends traditional assessment methods. As such, it’s imperative that we transition from formal, summative assessments to implementing more formative assessments.

But how does one implement formative assessment? What does that look like in practice?

Backward Design Framework

With any type of assessment, the first step should be to establish learning goals and objectives. Once these are established, teachers can ask: Did students meet established learning goals and objectives? Can students demonstrate what they know, and is there evidence that students are actively demonstrating their understanding? Using a backward design framework (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) helps teachers to first focus on the learning goals, then design assessments that accurately reflect those goals. instructional design occurs only after the goals and assessments have been established. This framework allows teachers to be more intentional and purposeful in designing assessments.

With formative assessments, teachers can measure student progress throughout the learning experience, and modify lessons as needed. Teachers are better able to respond to individual student needs and design more meaningful learning experiences for students.

Don’t Focus Solely on Outcomes

In a presentation on Collaborating and Improvising to Improve Grading and Performance, researcher Dr. Thomas R. Guskey shared three types of grading criteria that can help teachers to create meaningful assessments: product, process, and progress.

• Product: What did students learn? Did they meet the learning objectives? 

• Process: How did students engage with content and each other during learning?

• Progress: How did students improve? What learning gains did students achieve? 

Typically, grading tends to focus on the product at an end point. Summative assessments measure the end result of a specified period of time (e.g., semester, unit) and ask students to demonstrate their knowledge in a singular instance. However, a key drawback to summative assessments is that they do not provide a comprehensive understanding of student learning. A focus on product does not reveal students’ engagement with the learning experience (process) or improvement (progress). 

in contrast, formative assessments can include product, process, and progress. Because formative assessments can be frequent and informal, teachers have options. These options provide deeper insight into student learning.

In measuring product, formative assessments can require students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of content, make connections with other content, and actively engage with what they learned. Some examples:

• Students in AP U.S. History studying the American civil rights movement might create and publish a podcast about life during that time period, from the perspective of different individuals.

• Eighth-grade students in Spanish class might create music videos describing the rules for conjugating different types of verbs.

• Fourth-grade students might create a stop motion video performing original creative writing pieces.

In measuring students’ engagement with the learning experience, or the student learning process, formative assessments can look at behavior, conduct, or social-emotional skills. While there are many behavioral and social aspects of learning, it will be helpful for students and teachers to focus on several areas at a time, rather than trying to measure everything all at once. Some examples:

• Participation: Teachers can measure the frequency and level of participation during class discussions, either in a physical classroom or through an online discussion board. Teachers can establish clear expectations for participation beforehand, so that students know what to expect.

• Collaboration: Teachers can first ask, what does ideal collaboration look like? Then, after delineating collaboration point by point (e.g., shared administrative tasks, choosing effective platforms for communication, allowing teacher feedback), teachers can create a rubric to share with students before a collaborative project. This will help set clear expectations for students while working.

In measuring student progress, formative assessments provide a wealth of information. Measuring student progress through an assignment, lesson, or project helps make student thinking visible. It shows what students know, think, feel, and understand and how those concepts progress throughout the entire learning experience.

Furthermore, making student thinking visible can reveal habits of mind like confidence, grit, optimism, or perseverance. In turn, this can help teachers adjust instruction and provide more personalized learning experiences so that all students are successful in meeting their learning goals.

One example of a powerful way for measuring student progress is screencasting and in my next post I’ll discuss screencasting in length.