Module 1: Definition of Formative Assessment

Summary

This course aims to clarify the confusion and misconceptions around formative assessment, emphasizing its role as an ongoing instructional process rather than a one-time event. It highlights how formative assessment supports both educators and students by providing real-time feedback, boosting student confidence, and guiding them toward their learning goals. The script also addresses the emotional aspect of learning, debunks misconceptions about technology-based assessments, and outlines practical strategies for implementation. Educators are encouraged to own this process to significantly impact student achievement.

Takeaways

• 📚 Educators have varying definitions of formative assessment, leading to confusion.
• 🤔 Many misconceptions exist about formative assessment, contributing to misunderstandings.
• 🎯 Formative assessment is not a one-time event but a continuous process embedded in daily instruction.
• 💡 The process provides educators and students with valuable insights on what comes next in learning.
• 💪 Formative assessment also supports students emotionally by boosting their confidence and belief in success.
• 📈 Effective formative assessment helps students understand achievement targets, where they stand, and how to close the learning gap.
• 🎯 Formative assessment is not just a tool for educators but is centered on helping students succeed.
• 🖥️ Technology-enhanced tools, while useful, do not automatically equate to formative assessment without the full process.
• 📊 The key to formative assessment is how educators use the data to inform their instructional decisions.
• 🏆 Michigan’s Department of Education defines formative assessment as a process for providing feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning.

Q & A

What are some misconceptions about formative assessment?

Some misconceptions include viewing formative assessment as a one-time test or event, rather than an ongoing process embedded into daily instruction.

How is formative assessment different from a traditional test?

Formative assessment is a continuous process that provides ongoing feedback to guide instruction, while traditional tests are often one-time events that measure knowledge at a single point in time.

What is the emotional component of formative assessment?

Formative assessment plays a role in building students' confidence and keeping them believing in their ability to succeed by offering feedback that guides them toward their learning goals.

How does formative assessment benefit both students and educators?

It helps educators make informed instructional decisions and keeps students aware of their progress, allowing them to understand their goals, where they currently stand, and how to close the gap to achieve success.

What are the three main goals of formative assessment in the classroom?

The goals are: to help students understand the achievement target, to assess where they are relative to that target, and to provide guidance on how to close the gap between their current status and the target.

Why doesn’t technology automatically equate to formative assessment?

While technology can help identify where a student is in relation to learning goals, formative assessment involves not just data collection but also guiding students on how to meet those goals through feedback and instruction.

What analogy is used to explain the importance of knowing the learning target in formative assessment?

The analogy of the 'hot and cold' game is used: knowing whether you're getting closer or farther from the target is not useful if you don't know what you're trying to find in the first place.

What is key to making formative assessment effective?

The key to effectiveness is not just gathering data but using it appropriately to inform teaching strategies and help students progress toward their learning objectives.

What is the definition of formative assessment supported by the Michigan Department of Education?

Formative assessment is a process used by educators and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve student achievement of intended instructional outcomes.

What strategies has the Michigan Department of Education adopted to implement formative assessment?

The seven strategies include self-assessment, peer assessment, goal setting, activating prior knowledge, transferring learning beyond the classroom, feedback, and questioning.