Runnig Plickers Essay

A formative assessment provides informal feedback and information during the teaching process. This assessment measures student progress and performance thus allowing further improvement and development. It can also assess the teacher’s progress as an instructor, enabling the teacher to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching methods.

Assessments are the process of evaluating an individual’s learning. They involve generating and collecting evidence of a learner’s attainment of knowledge and skills and judging that evidence against defined standards. Formative Assessments (quizzes and practical tests) are used to

Coffey, J. E., Hammer, D., Levin, D. E & Grant, T. (2011). The Missing Disciplinary Substance of Formative Assessment. Journal of research in science teaching. 48 (10) PP. 1109–1136 (2011) College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 2 Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 3 St. Paul School, Baltimore, Maryland Received 17 April 2011; Accepted 5 August 2011. Retrieved from file:///Users/EleanorNewbold/Downloads/Coffey_et_al-2011-Journal_of_Research_in_Science_Teaching.pdf

In 1989 a group of voluntary researchers named the Assessment Reform group (ARG) were formed by the British Educational Research Association (BERA). The group had the task to take account of relevant research and evidence in regards to assessment for policy and practice. In 1996 BERA’s support ceased and was taken over by the Nuffield Foundation till the ARG dissolved in 2010. It was in 1996 that the foundation funded Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam members of the ARG to review literature on the use of assessment to help with learning. As a result, evidence was found that ‘formative assessment’ could help to improve learning and the findings were published under the title ‘Inside the black box’. The ARG was one of significant influences on the design of Scotland’s Assessment is for Learning (AfiL) initiative which aimed to develop assessment in learning in Scottish schools. This essay will discuss and explore how effective formative assessment of pupils’ progression can be carried out.

Formative assessment, or assessment for learning as it is often called, is the assessment that

The first thing to learn about formative assessment from the video "Unpacking Formative Assessment" is that it is a complex process, consisting of five major strategies, such as fixing and adjusting learning intentions, questioning, providing regular feedback, activating self, and activating peers. Another major learning form the video related to the formative assessment process is the importance of setting individual goals for students as they tend to think in different directions. Another important thing that I learned is that the majorities of teachers tend to spend their time designing methods and strategies of formative assessment and do not take into consideration the fact the formative assessment is not the most important aspect of learning

Within my past and current educational course work and field experiences, I have explored and engaged in the use of multiple assessments to gather both formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are for learning, they assess during learning. Summative assessments are of learning they assess what students ability to apply what they have learned. Formative assessments can be described as check points done frequently through a lesson to assess student acquisition of knowledge. Summative assessments assess student ability to apply what they have learned.

Formative assessment is what guides and focuses student learning in the classroom. Depending on which resources a person is reading, formative assessments take on slightly different meanings and interpretations. Fisher and Frey promote formative assessment as continuous assessment practices that students and teachers use to check the students’ level of understanding. Wiliam says formative assessments are those that provide information that will be used to make decisions on the next learning steps. In either case, formative assessments provide both the teacher and student information on the current learning situation as well as provide ideas to enhance the learning experience in the future.

Formative assessments have become a huge component of my instruction practice. Our district encourages the use of formative assessments rather than the traditional summative. Keeley (2016) states that much of the weight has been shifted on the side of formative. I have used short surveys or questionnaires

To successfully conduct this type of instructional practices of assessing students daily the teacher or planning committee must plan for these assessments that link with the learning of all students (Fennell, Swartz, McCord, & Wray, 2015). There has been a disconnection of what is expected of the instructional staff in order to accomplish success. According to Fennell, Swartz, McCord, & Wray (2015), there is little to no research of how to conduct formative assessment as an instructional tool and for that reason (Schneider and Meyer’s 2012), believes that teacher are not adequately re-teaching or providing intervention which is hindering students success rates.

Describe and evaluate 2 different formative assessment method activities used to check the learning of either individuals or a group of learners:

Knowing when to use each is imperative to the success of students. It is the teacher's job to decide when to use each of the types and subtypes of assessments. Through the research presented in this literature it has been found that formative assessment is a more helpful form of guiding instruction. Summative assessment is used to see what students know about a particular topic at a particular time, such as a cumulative exam. Students and teachers alike feel the pressure that high stakes testing can bring. Teachers make all the difference when it comes to testing. So, in order for teachers to have classrooms where testing is used efficiently they must work diligently to make sure their assessments are balanced and carefully

As previously mentioned, formative assessments can be described as systematic processes of collection of evidence regarding students’ learning (Nunn, 2011). The information derived from the formative assessments is used to inform teaching practices and act as

Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting further student learning and enabling improved student learning through purposeful interaction and providing meaningful feedback. Formative assessment is specifically intended to generate feedback and feed forward on performance to improve, accelerate and enable learning (Sadler, 1998). Formative assessment can and should occur throughout a daily class, through implementation of learning and teaching strategies that lead to both oral and written feedback. The Formative assessment approach is equitable and reliable, producing some significant indicator of student developed understanding that links directly to the syllabus outcomes. This then allows the teacher or other students to respond by trying to

Leach, N. (2014). Formative computer based assessments to enhance teaching and learning. South African Journal of Education. 28 (3): 1033-1046