Formative Assessment Timing Explained

Formative assessment is a crucial part of the teaching and learning cycle. It's designed to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning.

Understanding Formative Assessment

Think of formative assessment as a check-up during a process, rather than a final exam. Its main goals are:

• To monitor student learning and provide feedback.
• To identify areas where students are struggling.
• To help teachers adjust their instruction based on student needs.
• To help students understand their own progress and how to improve.

When Formative Assessment Occurs

Formative assessment is fundamentally about supporting learning while it is happening. Let's look at the timing:

• During the learning process: This is the core time for formative assessment. Activities like quick quizzes, asking questions during a lesson, observing students as they work, reviewing drafts, and class discussions all happen while the material is being taught and learned. This allows for immediate adjustments to teaching strategies and provides students with timely guidance.
• After teaching of a lesson: While some feedback might occur right after a lesson, formative assessment is most effective *before* the learning is fully complete. Waiting until *after* the entire lesson is taught means some learning gaps might go unaddressed during the crucial initial learning phase.
• At the end of the session: Assessment at the end of a session, term, or year is typically summative assessment. Its purpose is to evaluate what has been learned overall, not to guide the learning process itself.
• Before academic session begins: This period is usually for diagnostic assessment, which aims to identify students' prior knowledge or potential learning challenges before instruction starts. It doesn't provide feedback during the learning process itself.

Therefore, formative assessment is intrinsically linked to the ongoing learning activities.