Formative Assessment in the Elementary Classroom

What is formative assessment?

Assessments are used to determine what students have learned following a period of instruction. This traditional type of assessment or, “assessment of learning,” helps an instructor to see whether or not students are meeting standards set up by the state, district, or teacher. The trouble with this kind of assessment, known as summative assessment, is that it only measures what has been learned at the end of a unit. It does not allow a teacher to track student progress or understanding along the way. By the time these tests have been administered, it is too late for a teacher to alter instruction and offer additional support when necessary.

Formative assessments, on the other hand focus on “assessment for learning.” This method of assessment supports students and teachers during the process of learning. These assessments are not necessarily lengthy or formal. They can be administered in a variety of ways including a purposeful homework assignment. Formative assessments provide multiple opportunities for teachers to track student progress along the way. Once a teacher has collected data that reflects student understanding, they are able to see where their students are and where they need to be in order to determine their next instructional steps. Students also benefit from this type of instruction as they are provided with useful feedback that will improve their learning. 

If we understand these benefits, why aren’t formative assessments common practice?

Teachers fear that they do not have enough time to assess their students as they learn. This fear often encourages teachers to move quickly through material and shove as much information into the day as possible. However, this overwhelming amount of information leads to a less meaningful understanding and as a result, less learning. Students need to be provided with time each day to reflect upon their learning, receive feedback from teachers about how to make improvements, and interact with topics to develop their schemas. Without formative assessments, students will not maintain most of the information given to them in class. 

What are some examples of formative assessments?

There are many ways to make time for formative assessments in the third grade classroom throughout the school day. Not every assessment needs to be lengthy and time consuming. Their impacts on instruction are well worth the extra time. Here as some examples of useful formative assessments…

·         Listen in on student partner conversations to quickly identify misconceptions.

·         Allow student to reflect on what they have taken from a lesson in order to deepen their understandings.

·         Have students fill out a graphic organizer to organize new information and make connections to what they already know.

·         Give students the opportunity to represent information visually to increase memory, make connections, and account for diverse learning styles.

·         Ask students to work collaboratively in order to demonstrate their own knowledge and deepen their understanding as they learn from others.

·         Use “exit cards” to summarize what students have learned at the end of a lesson.

A third grade educator can incorporate a variety of these assessments into units, giving them a better understanding of student progress. Using more than one type of assessment allows teachers to view students through a “multiple-measure assessment window” and provides useful information about what is being learned in the classroom, how students are evolving, and how you can assist them in their learning.

What’s Next?

"Informative assessment isn't an end in itself, but the beginning of better instruction" -Carol Ann Tomlinson- Once you have gathered data on your learners, you must use the information in order to inform your next instructional steps. This data will tell you who is in need of the most attention, which students need to be challenged more, and which areas need to be readdressed. The challenge is to approach the same material in a different way to provide a new way for students to form an understanding. Formative assessments allow us to better understand our students and their individual needs. They assist teachers in becoming reflective decision makers and serve to enrich classroom curriculum.