End of grade tests, quizzes, assignments, homework, midterms; these are many of the different types of assessments used for students- but what is the difference between them all? Some are long, others short, but they all produce stress for the teacher and student. Introducing a new term, formative assessment, is something that teachers would rather prefer to use than those horrible things called tests. Assessing with a formative approach allows the teacher to provide feedback throughout the unit being taught in a variety of different ways. Whether they are answering a question, writing a journal response or even observing the student at work, assessments are being done. Two different types of Assessment
Summative assessment is commonly referred to as assessment of learning, in which the focus is on determining what the student has learned at the end of a unit of instruction or at the end of a grade level (e.g., through grade-level, standardized assessments) (Johnson and Jenkins).
Formative assessment can be most directly used at the individual student level because it measures how a particular student is progressing in the instructional program and identifies where support may be needed. The focus on individual students provides immediate feedback on their progress within the curriculum. Formative assessment may also be evaluated at the classroom level to inform teaching practices because it reveals how many students may be experiencing difficulty (Johnson and Jenkins).
Assessment can be done on any grade. When looking at specific grade levels, teachers have to assess differently depending on their class. Each student is different and requires different things. Whether you are using different methods or just different lengths of assessment- make it special for each class/student.
- Invite students to discuss their thinking about a question or topic in pairs or small groups, then ask a representative to share the thinking with the larger group (sometimes called think-pair-share).
- Present several possible answers to a question, then ask students to vote on them.
- Ask all students to write down an answer, then read a selected few out loud. Teachers might also assess students' understanding in the following ways:
- Have students write their understanding of vocabulary or concepts before and after instruction.
- Ask students to summarize the main ideas they've taken away from a lecture, discussion, or assigned reading.
- Have students complete a few problems or questions at the end of instruction and check answers.
- Interview students individually or in groups about their thinking as they solve problems.
- Assign brief, in-class writing assignments (e.g., "Why is this person or event representative of this time period in history?)
Specifically this semester I am interning with a third grade class, and I plan to use formative assessment as often as possible. But I am going to be completely honest, I did not know a whole lot about formative assessment prior to this blog. Fortunately, I have been able to talk with colleagues and teachers to learn and find new ways to assess my students during units and lessons. For example with my unit on communities this semester, I love the idea of having the students make graphic organizers to discuss what they know or what they learned from a lesson. Another idea, using the ticket out the door approach. This makes sure that every student turns something in, and it is a quick and easy way to check for understanding that day. Now that I am knowledgable about ways to use formative assessment, I feel more prepared and confident in actually incorporating it into my everyday lessons.
References:
Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998b). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (2): 139-148. (Available online: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm.)
Johnson, E., & Jenkins, J. Formative and summative assessment [Web log message].
