Formative Assessment - Assignment Example

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment involves existing procedures teachers and students engage with when they center on reading objectives and make significant steps essential in achieving the goals set. According to (Brady & KENNEDY (2012), the best formative assessment incorporates both teachers and students in a recursive procedure. Usually, it commences with the instructor, who structures the methods for the learners. The instructor explains, pictures, or illustrates the skills or concepts to explain and consigns the learner's research. Students can conduct these investigations or assignments by studying assigned materials, identifying and examining elements to solve questions, conducting different exercises and experiments, and placing content in the learner's hands (Reddy, Dudek & Lekwa, 2017). For instance, the instructor bestows a good detailed paragraph's features and instructs the learners on how to handle the work without complexities. Gradually, learners internalize learning objectives and manage and decide different approaches that align with the teacher’s instructions. This paper aims to evaluate the strategies that teachers can use to assess primary student's progress. The paper will discuss how formative assessment is essential for primary students and teachers.

A learner's self-assessment process indicates the development of sovereign learning. Studies indicate that when learners observe their knowledge and determine what is expected of them, they utilize metacognitive abilities. These are recognized as essential abilities in their conservatives. Studying how to learn is associated with the metacognitive abilities that will eventually have a significant role in lifelong learning. On some occasions, formative assessment significantly contributes to student's self-assessment (Reddy, Dudek & Lekwa, 2017). With self-assessment, learners learn to watch their performance following the learning objectives they comprehend. For instance, primary students can often discover to review sentences for particular errors or observe mathematical predicaments for significant complications. These different activities and self-assessment skills are significant building blocks and approaches for attaining the formative assessment procedure's immediate learning objective.

Key Features

Formative evaluation is considered a fundamental approach to learning and reporting student's educational achievements. Formative assessment is described as the constant procedure of evaluating one's knowledge of experiences and content and deciding the next steps to achieve a significant objective (Moss & Brookhart, 2019). The goal may appear as an aspiration in a teacher's lesson. Still, as learners focus on their learning, observe and observe their learning development, they become full formative assessment participants. Thus, they are identified as real learners. Studies indicate that formative assessment is not utilized for grading. Learners should have the chance to learn before they are rated on what they have studied. Formative evaluation is utilized before instructions to identify where the learners are and evaluate their learning progress during instruction (Moss & Brookhart, 2019). The fact that formative appraisal outcomes are not applied for grading makes it more significant for assessment, particularly students at primary levels. Formative assessment permits the learners to pay attention to identifying how they are performing academically and what is expected of them without worrying about being graded. Researchers indicate that there is an indication that genuine learners utilize all knowledge, including classified obligation, formatively (Moss & Brookhart, 2019). However, this is not the case for learners who encounter negative responses after failure. These reactions impact their process of adding information concerning their learning; consequently, their feedback value is diminished overshadowed by the low grades.

Some instructors prefer assessment before instructions and reserve formative assessment for characteristic assessment during learning. Moreover, others utilize diagnostic assessments to signify the type of assessment that diagnostic appraisal identifies learner's weaknesses for the instructor to approach (Hondrich, Hertel, Adl-Amini & Klieme, 2016). Given that an essential element of formative assessment is that instructors and learners utilize information collected during the assessment, this performance tool will utilize the phrase formative appraisal to signify the collection of information during or before instructions, that can be shared with learners and utilized for improvement.

Curriculum and assessment requirements

When it comes to evaluating student’s learning progress, teachers are obliged to evaluate more than just one information. According to studies, a single data point, regardless of how well designed the questions, presentation, and issues behind it, is considered enough information to help the teacher plan for the next step (Figa, Tarekegne & Kebede, 2020). Given that different leaning, assignments are best evaluated in various approaches demanding for different formative assessment tools. It is essential to maintain a simple formative assessment that needs to be evaluated and not ranked, given that the objective is to comprehend the student’s progress individually and as a class.

Approaches to Formative Assessment

Entry and exit slips

The marginal minutes at the start and the end of the class can present opportunities to identify what the children remember. With this approach, the teacher can begin by asking quick questions concerning the previous day's works while learners are settling (Figa, Tarekegne & Kebede, 2020). The teacher can ask different questions written on a chart paper or presented on the board. Studies indicate that entry slips can be in different forms beyond the regular pencil and scrap paper.

Low-stakes polls and quizzes

If the teacher wants to identify what her students know, she can consider using quizzes and polls created with Quizlet and tools such as Quizlet, Flipquiz, and Flippity. These tools can assist the teacher in getting a better sense of the student's level of understanding. Studies indicate that children are often logged into these tools; therefore, formative assessment can be conducted fast without complexities (Hondrich et al., 2016). By utilizing this approach and tools, the teacher can observe each student’s feedback and determine individually and aggregate how they perform. Given that the teacher can design the questions herself, she determines the level of complexity.

Dipsticks

Dipsticks incorporate elements such as asking the learners to write a letter exploring a significant idea to classmates or friends. The teacher can ask the students to sketch to visually represent new information or pair to share an activity with other students (Figa, Tarekegne & Kebede, 2020). The teacher’s observation of the children's work while in class offers important information. However, this information can be complicated to maintain track. To enable easy tracking of information, the teacher can use tools such as smartphones, tablets, or using a copy of her roster.

Methods that include art

The teacher can consider utilizing visuals, including videography and photography, as an assessment tool. Whether the learners create a collage, draw, or sculpt, the teacher may find that assessment to help them synthesize their learning (Hondrich et al., 2016). Moreover, the teacher can ask the learners to act out their comprehension of the content.

Errors and Misconceptions

On some occasions, it is vital to identify if the learners comprehend why something is incorrect or why a concept is complicated. The teacher can ask the learners to explain the “muddiest element” in the lesson, where they got confused and their progress. Additionally, the teacher can conduct a misconception check (Moss & Brookhart, 2019). This can be done by presenting the students with common misunderstandings and ask them to utilize previous knowledge to correct the errors. Lastly, the instructor may ask the students to decide if a statement comprises any errors and discuss the accurate answers.

Self-assessment

With this approach, the teacher will often consult the student by presenting them with a rubric and identifying their weaknesses and strengths. The teacher can utilize sticky notes to receive fast insights into the students' areas they need to improve. This can be done by asking the students to identify the areas they consider the class needs to improve and write them in a different column on a whiteboard (Moss & Brookhart, 2019). The teacher can ask the children to answer the sticky questions and then place the correct column's answer. Even so, no matter what equipment the teacher decides to use, she should conduct her reflection to ensure that she is assessing the content and not getting lost in the assessment fog. The teacher can also decide to try something different if the tools they are using are too complicated and not accessible or reliable.

Conclusion

The trigger for acknowledgment is when learners complete a teacher's assignment and receive comments that oblige than to make changes. Learners typically receive their work for the sake of enhancing their grades. Conclusively, it is well known that feedback improves performance, and studies indicate that response is most effective when it is actionable and timely. For students to be encouraged to acknowledge feedback, they are obliged to understand the significance of their learning. For this reason, teachers need to consider strategies that will enhance learner’s responsiveness to feedback by utilizing approaches such as formative assessment.

Hondrich, A. L., Hertel, S., Adl-Amini, K., & Klieme, E. (2016). Implementing curriculum-embedded formative assessment in primary school science classrooms. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 23(3), 353-376.

Moss, C. M., & Brookhart, S. M. (2019). Advancing formative assessment in every classroom: A guide for instructional leaders. ASCD.

Reddy, L. A., Dudek, C. M., & Lekwa, A. (2017). Classroom strategies coaching model: Integration of formative assessment and instructional coaching. Theory Into Practice, 56(1), 46-55.

Brady, L., & KENNEDY, K. J. (2012). Assessment and reporting: Celebrating student achievement. Pearson Education Australia.