The Forgotten Art of Formative Assessment

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

As Dr. Christopher Gareis in the "Forgotten Art of Formative Assessment" points out, "educators today live in the era of accountability of and the high-stakes state assessment tests." Yet, the challenge for educators is to measure learning in their classrooms on a week-by-week and lesson-by-lesson basis through formative assessment. Offering an overview on formative assessment, this article defines it, provides evidence of why it matters, and gives examples of what it can look like in the classroom.

In Dr. Gareis' view, "formative assessment is any means by which a teacher figures out what students are getting and what they are not getting in the classroom, for the purpose of teaching and learning, but not for purposes of grading."

As to evidence that demonstrates why formative assessment matters, Dr. Gareis points to the research undertaken by the Assessment Reform Group in England, Canada, and the United States regarding the effectiveness of formative assessment. Among their findings, he mentions the group has concluded "that improved formative assessment practices in classrooms typically yield gains in student achievement roughly equivalent to one to two grade levels in learning (Assessment Reform Group, 1999)."

Lastly, he reviews what formative assessment looks like in the classroom. While offering some examples, he believes "everything students do has potential value as formative assessment." He goes on to mention that while "formative assessment can take many forms, all approaches should adhere to three basic principles advocated by the Assessment Reform Group, that formative assessment is integral to instruction, requires constructive feedback and fosters student involvement."

To read the complete article, click on the source citing.

Source:
The Forgotten Art of Formative Assessment, Christopher R. Gareis, Ed.D., T/TAC Linkl Lines, page 4, February/March 2006, Training and Technical Assistance Center, College of William and Mary

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