What is the Formative Assessment Process?
Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary learning outcomes and support students to become more self-directed learners.
(CCSSO FAST SCASS Austin, Texas June 2017)
What Do We Mean by Formative Assessment?
Why Does Formative Assessment Matter?
Formative Assessment is one of the most effective instructional interventions that schools can adopt. Research supports that it helps all students, especially those with low achievement, accomplish ambitious outcomes. View this short video by formative assessment expert Margaret Heritage, and check out our informational briefs below to learn more.
Students & Families
A growing number of families, teachers, and future employers believe that doing well in school should be primarily about learning (mastering academic content), rather than earning grades (ensuring high grades). The best way to transition from an earning to a learning perspective is to engage in the formative assessment process.
Teachers
Formative assessment is an ongoing instructional process comprised of several distinct practices that work together to promote robust student learning. While some parts of the formative assessment process may be familiar to teachers, several parts of the overall process will require them to change their instructional practices.
Administrators
School administrators juggle many competing responsibilities while striving to fulfill most districts’ stated mission to provide a quality education to all students. Toward that goal, they are charged with helping their staffs select the instructional methods, programs, and support needed to help all students learn. This is where the formative assessment process enters the picture.
Policymakers
Did you know that the formative assessment process is one of the most effective instructional interventions that schools can adopt? Research shows that this is particularly true for low-achieving students. This revelation is just one of the many important facts policymakers need to know about the formative assessment process and how it fits into a balanced system of assessment of learning and assessment for learning.
