BALANCED ASSESSMENT

Teachers and students are generally familiar with summative assessments given at the end of courses or units and used to evaluate students and assign grades. A balanced assessment system that includes both formative and summative assessments provides a greater impact on student learning—students learn more, not just report on how well they have learned.

How assessment results are used determines whether it is formative or summative. Formative assessment moves learning forward. Teachers, as well as students, gather information and use it to modify and guide instruction. Assessment can’t be considered formative unless the information gleaned is used in some way to further instruction.

In the video on the right, Kentucky administrators and teachers describe how they use formative and summative assessment as part of a balanced assessment system.

Formative/Summative Assessment

Video: 6m 31s

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The teachers on the video prepare their units so that no student should be surprised by the result of a summative test. Beginning with the end in mind, multiple formative assessments along the way bring to light any misunderstanding and confusion while there’s time to make corrections.

Reflect on your own classroom practice. Are your students fully prepared for summative tests? What adjustments would you make to ensure that all students master learning goals?

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

WHY FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT?

An article on formative assessment which appeared in the British Journal of Behavioral Psychology reported on a study on what enhances—and what undermines—student learning. In the study, three groups of students were given the same assignment; feedback on the assignment varied by class. Group A received only a numerical score for their work; Group B received only descriptive feedback on their work; and Group C received both a numerical score and descriptive feedback. When given a second assignment, only the students in Group B who received descriptive feedback only showed improvement.

Student Feedback Research (PDF)

What can you infer from this research data regarding how to give feedback for maximum effect?

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

Common Planning for Formative Instruction

Video: 5m 43s

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Why Formative Assessment?

Video: 9m 32s

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The first video, which originally aired on the KET program Education Matters in March 2010, features teachers from Whitesville Elementary in Daviess Co. working together to plan and evaluate formative assessment in their classrooms. They talk about the benefits of the common planning approach and the dramatic improvement in student performance that resulted from using formative assessment strategies.

In the next video, three teachers talk about how formative assessments allow them and their students to check for understanding along the way so they can modify future instruction as needed and also provide feedback to students so they can improve their performances.

Teachers in the second video talk about the importance of giving students the opportunity to fail without consequence. One teacher has a motto, "Today is a good day to be wrong," and another says, "It's good to be wrong because it means we're practicing."

Reflect on the learning environment in your classroom. Do students have opportunities to safely make mistakes and learn from them without it affecting their grades? How can you build in opportunities for more practice? What can you do to foster a climate in which students feel safe to make mistakes?

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Effective formative assessment takes multiple forms depending on the situation.

The following video presents a variety of formative assessments as well as comments by teachers and administrators about matching the type of assessment to the learning goal.

Formative Assessment Strategies

Video: 12m 56s

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Formative assessments vary by content and grade level as well as on a teacher's personal style and preferences. Teachers modify strategies so they work and make sense to them.

Choose a topic you teach in your class. Describe how you could use a variety (at least three) of formative assessment strategies to monitor and guide student learning.

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT

Multiple research studies on student self-evaluation have shown that students who effectively self-assess learn at a more rapid pace and perform at higher levels. An important point for teachers to remember, however, is that for self-assessment to lead toward positive results, students must focus on their own personal growth rather than compare themselves with others. (NCTM, 2007)

In the video, teachers and administrators share strategies they use to encourage students to assess their own progress toward mastering a learning target.

Student Self-Assessment

Video: 6m 26s

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What strategies did you notice on the video that teachers used to ensure that students stayed on track when given the freedom to choose their own activities? What are some ways you can build in more opportunities for your students to self-assess and choose the direction of their own learning?

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

LEARNING TARGETS

An imperative part of formative assessment is providing students with a clear understanding of what it is they are supposed to learn so that they—and you—can monitor progress toward that goal. There can be no instruction or assessment without first determining what you want students to know and be able to do. Students can't assess their progress without first having a goal, a vision of a learning target that they clearly understand.

Leadership Networks throughout the state have developed learning targets for English/language arts and mathematics that underpin Kentucky's new Core Academic Standards. (These can be downloaded at KDE's website or the Resources section of this module.)

The teams deconstructed the standards into learning targets that students can understand, written in language that is consistent with students' developmental level. Most targets begin with "I can..." or "I will be able to..." to promote student self-assessment of their progress toward the goal.

In the video, teachers and administrators talk about the importance of learning targets and how they promote and support student understanding of what they need to learn or be able to do. You'll also see teachers reinforcing learning targets with their students.

Learning Targets and Formative Assessment

Video: 3m 43s

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Explain why meaningful formative assessment is impossible without learning targets.

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

QUESTIONING FOR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

How do you know for sure that your students have mastered a learning target or are making progress toward the goal? It's important to plan the kinds of activities and questions that elicit valid evidence of student learning. In most content areas, there is research on common misconceptions and over- and under- generalizations typical of students across a developmental continuum. Planning the kinds of questions that get at what students really know and think will enable you to address any confusion and misunderstanding while there's still time to correct course before assessing for a grade.

The following video features interviews with a principal and teacher as well as classroom footage illustrating good questioning techniques.

Questioning for Formative Assessment

Video: 4m 30s

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In addition to asking questions that provide a true representation of student learning, the teachers and administrators in the video also talk about the quality of questions and helping students develop critical thinking skills.

Think of a typical day in your classroom. What percentage of the questions you ask require students to go beyond identifying and push them further along the thinking continuum—for example, ask them to infer, evaluate, or synthesize?

Write your answer in the box below. After saving your notes, you can use the review my work link below and at the top of the lesson box to view your saved notes and print them.

RESOURCES

For more information about Module 1, contact:
Sean Elkins
Division of Program Standards
Kentucky Department of Education
500 Mero Street, 19th Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-2106

For principals, academic officers, and others who monitor and approve professional development credit, we have provided a list of the tasks required for each module. This provides an excellent opportunity for those monitoring and approving PD for credit to gauge participants’ engagement and understanding of the material.

Facilitator Guide for Module 1 (PDF)

Credits