Formative Assessment Explained

An educational assessment which is generally carried out throughout a course or project is termed as a formative assessment. This type of assessment is a continuous process aimed at monitoring student learning and providing ongoing feedback. The primary purpose of formative assessment is to improve student learning and teaching methods as the course or project progresses, rather than just evaluating learning at the end.

Formative Assessment Characteristics

Key characteristics that define a formative assessment include:

• Ongoing Process: Unlike a final exam, formative assessment happens continuously during the learning process, allowing for real-time adjustments.
• Feedback-Oriented: It provides immediate and actionable feedback to students, helping them understand what they know, what they don't know, and how they can improve. Teachers also receive feedback to adjust their instruction.
• Improvement Focused: The goal is to "form" or shape learning. It helps identify learning gaps early so they can be addressed.
• Low Stakes: Often, these assessments are not heavily graded or are ungraded, reducing pressure and encouraging students to take risks and learn from mistakes.

Formative Assessment Examples

Examples of activities that serve as formative assessment during a course or project include:

• Short quizzes or polls during a lecture.
• Class discussions and questioning by the teacher.
• Exit tickets where students write down what they learned or questions they still have.
• Drafts of essays or projects that receive feedback before the final submission.
• Observation of student participation in group work or labs.
• Concept maps or graphic organizers completed by students.

Formative vs. Summative Assessment

It is important to distinguish formative assessment from summative assessment, as they serve different purposes and occur at different times during the learning journey.

Assessment Option Analysis

• Informal Assessment: While often ongoing, 'informal' is a broad category. Formative assessment is a more specific and structured type of ongoing assessment designed with clear learning improvement goals.
• Summative Assessment: As discussed, this type of educational assessment evaluates learning at the *end* of a learning period, summarizing what has been learned, rather than being carried out continuously throughout a course or project.
• Criterion-referenced Assessment: This refers to how an assessment is scored, comparing student performance against a set standard or criteria. A criterion-referenced assessment can be either formative or summative; it describes the scoring method, not the timing or primary purpose of continuous assessment during a course.

Based on the definition of an assessment carried out throughout a course or project to guide and improve learning, formative assessment is the precise and correct term.