Formative Assessment: what it represents

Formative assessment refers to a set of practices, techniques, and activities employed to evaluate learning in progress. Through formative assessment, teachers or instructors receive feedback from students to understand their perception of the material and, consequently, adjust the curriculum and differentiate instruction to make it more personalized.

Formative assessment assists students in developing valuable skills, such as reflection, information processing, self-evaluation, and goal-setting. It also encourages independence in learning and teaching.

A grade itself is not informative. For instance, if a student makes 30 errors in a dictation test and receives a grade of two, it may indicate that he or she has made progress, but the grade does not reflect the student’s development or the effectiveness of the program. Moreover, this grade may demotivate the student.

This does not imply that the marking system is fundamentally flawed. It merely refers to the final evaluation – that is, it does not discuss the process but rather the outcome. It can also be part of formative assessment and does not contradict it. You can always assign points for completed tasks and then calculate a final grade from them.

Formative assessment is appropriate for both children and adults. Assessment methods for different age groups do not vary significantly. However, the earlier these practices are introduced, the better.

Nevertheless, there may initially be challenges with children, as such assessment will require specific skills from students – for instance, analyzing their work and the ability to ask questions. Although these are highly beneficial but complex cognitive abilities, with consistent use, results can be achieved relatively quickly. From educators and teachers, the formative assessment system requires, first, skills, and, secondly, time resources. This is because the basis of formative assessment is criterion-based assessment. That is, for specific tasks, modules, topics, etc., it is necessary to establish certain evaluation criteria – the educational outcomes that the student has achieved. These can be at different levels – for example, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. It is the creation of these criteria that often presents difficulties and requires significant time.

01.02.2024