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Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence

Formative assessments.

Nicole Messier, CATE Instructional Designer February 4th, 2022

WHAT? Heading link Copy link

Formative assessments occur before, during, and after a class session and data collected is used to inform improvements to teaching practices and/or student learning and engagement.

• Formative assessments are beneficial to instructors by helping them to understand students’ prior knowledge and skills, students’ current level of engagement with the course materials, and how to support students in their progression to achieve the learning objectives.
• Formative assessments are beneficial to students by providing them with immediate feedback on their learning as well as opportunities to practice metacognition, which is an awareness of one’s own knowledge and thinking processes as well as an ability to self-monitor one’s learning path (e.g., self-assessment of learning) and adapt or make changes to one’s learning behaviors (e.g., goal setting).

Formative assessments can be viewed through two broad assessment strategies: assessments for learning and assessments as learning.

• Assessment for learning (AfL) provides the instructor an opportunity to adapt their teaching practices to support current students’ needs through the collection of data as well as provide practice, feedback, and interaction with the students.
• Assessment as learning (AaL) provides student ownership of learning by utilizing evidence-based learning strategies, promoting self-regulation, and providing opportunities for reflective learning.

Want to learn more about these assessment strategies? Please visit the Resources Section – CATE website to review resources, teaching guides, and more.

Non-Graded Formative Assessments (AfL & AaL) Heading link Copy link

Non-graded formative assessments (afl & aal).

Non-graded formative assessments can be used to examine current students’ learning and provide an opportunity for students to self-check their learning.

• Before class, questions can provide students with an opportunity to self-assess their learning as well as provide instructors with information for adapting their instruction.
• During class, questions can provide a platform for discussion, interaction, and feedback.
• After class, questions can provide students with opportunities to reflect, self-assess, and use retrieval practice .
• Questions to gauge understanding of content in the video.
• Think-pair-share – asking students to turn to their neighbor in class or small breakout groups in an online discussion and share their thoughts, ideas, or answers to a topic or question.
• Muddiest point – asking students to identify a topic or theme that is unclear, or that they do not have confidence in their knowledge yet.
• Three-minute reflection – asking students to pause and reflect on what they have learned during class (e.g., shared in a survey tool like Google Form , or in a discussion tool like Acadly ).
• Asynchronous online sharing and brainstorming using Blackboard discussion boards or EdTech tools like Jamboard or Padlet.

Polling and video questions can be designed as assessment for learning (AfL) by gathering data for instructors to adapt their lectures and learning activities to meet students where they are or to provide opportunities for students to reflect on their learning. In-class activities such as think-pair-share and muddiest point or asynchronous sharing can be designed as assessment as learning (AaL) by providing opportunities for students to self-assess their learning and progress.

Example 1 - Polling Questions Heading link Copy link

Example 1 - polling questions.

An instructor wants to determine if students understand what is being discussed during the lecture and decides to create an opportunity for students to reflect and self-assess. The instructor designs a Likert scale poll where students are asked to rank their understanding of concepts from 1 – extremely muddy (no understanding of the concept) to 5 – ready to move on (a clear understanding of the concept). Based on student responses the instructor decides to revisit a muddy concept in the next class as well as provides additional resources via the course site on the concept to support student learning.

The instructor also encourages students to revisit concepts that they scored a three or lower on and write down questions about the concepts to share before the next class. The instructor decides to continue using the poll and the collection of questions on important concepts in the upcoming units. The instructor will utilize these questions throughout the term to support student learning.

This formative assessment example demonstrates assessment for learning (Afl) and assessment as learning (AaL) by collecting data to adapt instruction as well as provide students with the opportunity to self-assess.

Polling questions can also be used to verify that pre-class work was completed, as a knowledge check while taking attendance, as a quick confirmation of understanding while lecturing, or as an exit poll before leaving class (on-campus or synchronous online).

Non-graded formative assessments can be adapted to provide extrinsic motivation by awarding students credit if they achieve a certain percentage of correct answers (e.g., students complete at least 70% of the questions correctly to receive full credit). This type of extrinsic motivation shifts the focus from the students’ ability to answer the questions correctly to promoting self-assessment, practice, and goal setting.

Graded Formative Assessments (AfL & AaL) Heading link Copy link

Graded formative assessments (afl & aal).

Just like non-graded formative assessments, graded formative assessments can be used to examine current students’ learning and provide an opportunity for students to gauge their learning. Graded formative assessments should provide students with opportunities to practice skills, apply knowledge, and self-assess their learning.

• One-minute essay – asking students to write down their thoughts on a topic at the end of a lecture.
• Concept map – asking students to create a diagram showing relationships between concepts.
• Authentic assessments – an assessment that involves a real-world task or application of knowledge instead of a traditional paper.
• Reflections, journals, self-assessment of previous work
• Discussion forums – academic discussions focused on a topic or question.
• Group work or peer review
•  Video questions using EdTech tools like Panopto or Echo360 .

Formative assessments like in-class work, written assignments, discussion forums, and group work can be graded with a rubric to provide individualized feedback to students. Video questions using EdTech tools like Panopto or Echo360 and quizzes using Blackboard Tests, Pools, and Surveys can be automatically graded with immediate feedback provided to students.

Example 2 - Written Assignment Heading link Copy link

Example 2 - written assignment.

An instructor decides to create four formative written assessments to measure student learning and provide opportunities for students to self-assess and self-regulate their learning. These written assignments are designed to assess each of the learning objectives in the course. Students are required to find new evidence by performing research based on the aligned learning objective(s) in each assignment. In the first written assignment, students are provided with a rubric to self-assess their work and submit their self-assessment and work. The instructor provides personalized feedback using the rubric on their work and self-assessment. In the second and third written assignments, students are asked to submit their work and provide a review of their peers’ work using a rubric. The instructor provides feedback on the peer review only. In the fourth assignment, the students are asked to select one of the previous pieces of work and make revisions as well as write a reflection on the knowledge and skills that were developed by completing a self-assessment and two peer reviews.

This formative assessment example demonstrates the importance of feedback in improving student performance and learning. This example could come from a writing, research, or humanities course where students are expected to produce narrative, argumentative, persuasive, or analytical essays. These written assignments could also be in major coursework and be more authentic (involves a real-world task or application of knowledge instead of a traditional paper), for example, developing a memo, proposal, blog post, presentation, etc. 

Formative assessments are used to provide opportunities for practice, feedback, and interaction ensuring students are active learners, instead of passive recipients of the information. In an active learning environment, student engagement, motivation, and outcomes are improved through the implementation of formative assessments. Students participate in meaningful learning activities and assessments that promote self-regulation, provide practice, and reinforce skills in an active learning environment.

Want to learn more about active learning strategies? Please visit the  Resources Section – CATE website to review resources, teaching guides, and more.

WHY? Heading link Copy link

Why develop formative assessments in your course?

Since the late 90s, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam have been challenging the view that summative assessment is the best way to measure learning and support student success. Black and Wiliam’s research on formative assessment and student achievement started the shift from a summative focus to a more balanced view of assessment for student success.

Studies have shown that students who participate in formative assessments have improved overall performance and higher scores than students who do not participate in the formative assessments (Robertson, 2019) .

Impact on Students Heading link Copy link

Impact on students.

Students who participate in formative assessments develop and improve several essential skills (Koka, 2017) including:

• Communication skills
• Collaboration skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Metacognition
• Self-regulation skills

Student involvement, self-reflection, and open communication between faculty and students during formative assessments are vital to student success (Koka, 2017). Effective formative assessments include (Black, 2009):

• “Clarifying and sharing learning intentions and criteria for success,
• Engineering effective classroom discussions and other learning tasks that elicit evidence of student understanding,
• Providing feedback that moves students forward,
• Activating students as instructional resources for one another,
• Activating students as the owners of their own learning.”

Use of EdTech Tools Heading link Copy link

Use of edtech tools.

Studies have shown that using EdTech tools for formative assessments improves the immediacy of scores and feedback to students. Student wait time and faculty workload are dramatically reduced by the utilization of EdTech tools (Robertson, 2019). The use of EdTech tools for formative assessments also improves student satisfaction, enjoyment, and engagement (Grier, 2021; Mdlalose, 2021). EdTech tools can be used for synchronous and asynchronous formative assessments; however, synchronous formative assessments can allow the instructor to clarify misconceptions and help foster more engagement during discussions to create a learning community (Mdlalose, 2021).

In a study and literature review by Robertson and Humphrey (2019), they determined elements needed for formative assessment tools to be effective, including timeliness of feedback, elaborative feedback from the instructor, personalized feedback for students, reusability (reusing existing questions or content), accessibility (does the use of the tool exclude some students), interface design (how easy it is to implement), interaction (does it improve the frequency of interactions between student and instructor), and cost (funded by the institution or personal expense). These elements should be taken into consideration as you determine which EdTech tool(s) to use for formative assessments.

Feedback & Formative Assessments Heading link Copy link

Feedback & formative assessments.

A critical component of any formative assessment is the timeliness of feedback. Studies have shown that it is the immediacy of feedback that is most beneficial to student learning (Robertson, 2019) . As you begin to design formative assessments or select an EdTech tool to develop a formative assessment, make sure to determine how you will provide feedback to students.

Reflect on the following questions regarding feedback and formative assessments:

• How will you ensure that feedback to students is timely?
• How will you design multiple opportunities for feedback interactions with you and/or among peers?
• How will you distribute feedback interactions throughout the course?
• How will you provide personalized feedback to students?

Want to learn more about grading and feedback? Please visit the Resources Section – CATE website to review resources, teaching guides, and more.

HOW? Heading link Copy link

How do you start designing formative assessments?

First, you can review your course outcomes and learning objectives to ensure alignment of the formative assessments developed. Formative assessments can help measure student achievement of learning objectives as well as provide students with actionable feedback and the instructor with data to make decisions on current teaching and instruction practices.

So how do you determine what type of formative assessment to design? Or the frequency and distribution of formative assessments in your course? Let’s dive into some of the elements that might impact your design decisions, including class size, discipline, modality, and EdTech tools .

Class Size Heading link Copy link

Formative assessments can be designed and implemented in any course size from small seminar courses to large lecture courses. The size of the class will influence the decisions that instructors make regarding the use of EdTech tools to deliver formative assessments.

Small Class Size

• May allow for more formative assessments distributed throughout the course.
• May allow for more immediacy of feedback and descriptive, personalized, or dialogic feedback from the instructor.

Large Class Size

• May require instructors to utilize EdTech tools to deliver formative assessments that are distributed throughout the course.
• May require instructors to utilize EdTech tools to deliver timely, consistent, and helpful feedback to students.

Discipline Heading link Copy link

Formative assessments can be implemented in any type of course or program. A few considerations when developing formative assessments:

• To understand students’ prior knowledge and skills.
• As learning for students to reflect and self-regulate their learning.
• To measure achievement of learning objectives.
• To collect data to make decisions about teaching and instruction.

In undergraduate general education coursework, instructors should consider using formative assessments to understand student goals and motivations for taking a course and how to support their goals (future learning and connection to future career) and sustain their engagement in a course that may not be directly or obviously related to the major program of study. In major coursework, instructors might want to consider using formative assessments to reinforce knowledge and practice skills needed for summative assessments and external accreditation or licensure exams.

Modality Heading link Copy link

The modality of your course will influence the planning and delivery of formative assessments. Formative assessments can be designed for both synchronous and asynchronous delivery for any course modality.

Synchronous formative assessments (during scheduled classes) can be administered in on-campus, online synchronous, hybrid, and synchronous distributed courses. For example, creating in-class polls or surveys using an EdTech tool like Acadly and   iClickers .

Asynchronous formative assessments (outside of scheduled classes) can be administered in any type of course; however, asynchronous formative assessments are vital for online asynchronous courses to measure and reinforce learning. For example, creating weekly or unit quizzes in Blackboard using the Tests, Pools, and Surveys to reinforce student learning of the content.

Formative Assessment Tools Heading link Copy link

Formative assessment tools.

EdTech tools can help to reduce faculty workload by providing a delivery system that reaches students before, during, and/or after class sessions

Below are EdTech tools that are available to UIC faculty to create and/or grade formative assessments for and as learning.

Video and Questions Tools Heading link Copy link

Video and questions tools.

• VoiceThread

Asynchronous formative assessment tools like videos with questions can help you provide opportunities for students to self-assess learning, receive feedback, and practice.

Questions, Surveys, and Polling Tools

•   iClickers
• Blackboard surveys and quizzes
• Google forms
• Poll Everywhere

Question or polling tools can be administered synchronously to check understanding during a lecture in on-campus or online synchronous courses. Many of these tools can also be used asynchronously by providing a link in the course materials or announcements in the learning management system (LMS) – Blackboard .

Assessment Creation and Grading Tools

• Blackboard assignments drop box and rubrics

Assignments and scoring rubrics can be created in Blackboard for students to practice skills, receive feedback, and make revisions. Formative assessments can be created within Gradescope, or you can score in-class work using AI technology to reduce grading time, provide consistency in grading, and give general as well as personalized feedback to students.

Want to learn more about these formative assessment tools? Visit the EdTech section on the CATE website to learn more.

GETTING STARTED Heading link Copy link

Getting started.

The following steps will support you as you examine current formative assessment practices through the lens of assessment for learning (AfL) and assessment as learning (AaL) and develop new or adapt existing formative assessments.

• Consider creating an outline of the course and determine when a learning objective is covered and should be assessed.
• To collect data for decision-making about teaching and instruction (AfL).
• To provide students opportunities for practice and feedback (AfL and AaL).
• To promote self-regulation and reflective learning by students (AaL).
• To provide differentiation for students to improve individual learning and performance (AfL).
• Format: in-class work, question(s), written assignment, etc.
• Delivery: paper and pencil, Blackboard, EdTech tool, etc.
• Feedback: general (how to improve performance), personalized (student-specific), etc.
• Scoring: graded, non-graded, participation points, or extra credit.
• The fourth step is to review data collected from formative assessment(s) and reflect on the implementation of the formative assessment(s) to inform continuous improvements for equitable student outcomes.

CITING THIS GUIDE Heading link Copy link

Citing this guide.

Messier, N. (2022). “Formative assessments.” Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence at the University of Illinois Chicago. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://teaching.uic.edu/resources/teaching-guides/assessment-grading-practices/formative-assessments/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Heading link Copy link

Additional resources.

Academic Planning Task Force. (2020). Guidelines for Assessment in Online Learning Environments .

Clifford, S. (2020). Eleven alternative assessments for a blended synchronous learning environment. Faculty Focus.

Crisp, E. (2020). Leveraging feedback experiences in online learning. EDUCAUSE

Dyer, K. (2019). 27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning. NWEA .

Gonzalez, J. (2020). 4 laws of learning (and how to follow them). Cult of Pedagogy .

Weinstein, Y., Sumeracki, M., Caviglioli, O. (n.d.). Six strategies for effective learning. The Learning Scientists .

Agarwal, P. (n.d.) Retrieval practice website

Hattie, J. (n.d.) Visible Learning website

Weinstein, Y., Sumeracki, M., Caviglioli, O. (n.d.). The Learning Scientists. 

Wiliam, D. (n.d.) Dylan Wiliam’s website

REFERENCES Heading link Copy link

Black, P., Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment Evaluation and Accountability. 21. 5-31. 10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5.

Earl, L.M., Katz, S. (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind – Assessment for learning, assessment as learning, assessment of learning. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Crown in Right of Manitoba .

Grier, D., Lindt, S., Miller, S. (2021). Formative assessment with game-based technology. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science . 5. 193-202. 10.46328/ijtes.97.

Koka, R., Jurane-Bremane, A., Koke, T. (2017). Formative assessment in higher education: From theory to practice. European Journal of Social Sciences Education and Research . 9. 28. 10.26417/ejser.v9i1.p28-34.

Mdlalose, N., Ramaila, S., Ramnarain, U. (2021). Using Kahoot! As a formative assessment tool in science teacher education. International Journal of Higher Education . 11. 43-51. 10.5430/ijhe.v11n2p43.

Robertson, S., Humphrey, S., Steele, J. (2019). Using technology tools for formative assessments . Journal of Educators Online . Volume 16, Issue 2.

Weinstein, Y., Sumeracki, M., Caviglioli, O. (2019). Understanding how we learn – A visual guide. Routledge .

14 Examples of Formative Assessment [+FAQs]

Traditional student assessment typically comes in the form of a test, pop quiz, or more thorough final exam. But as many teachers will tell you, these rarely tell the whole story or accurately determine just how well a student has learned a concept or lesson.

That’s why many teachers are utilizing formative assessments. While formative assessment is not necessarily a new tool, it is becoming increasingly popular amongst K-12 educators across all subject levels. 

Curious? Read on to learn more about types of formative assessment and where you can access additional resources to help you incorporate this new evaluation style into your classroom.

What is Formative Assessment?

Online education glossary EdGlossary defines formative assessment as “a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course.” They continue, “formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support.”

The primary reason educators utilize formative assessment, and its primary goal, is to measure a student’s understanding while instruction is happening. Formative assessments allow teachers to collect lots of information about a student’s comprehension while they’re learning, which in turn allows them to make adjustments and improvements in the moment. And, the results speak for themselves — formative assessment has been proven to be highly effective in raising the level of student attainment, increasing equity of student outcomes, and improving students’ ability to learn, according to a study from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 

On the flipside of the assessment coin is summative assessments, which are what we typically use to evaluate student learning. Summative assessments are used after a specific instructional period, such as at the end of a unit, course, semester, or even school year. As learning and formative assessment expert Paul Black puts it, “when the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative assessment. When a customer tastes the soup, that’s summative assessment.”

14 Examples of Formative Assessment Tools & Strategies

There are many types of formative assessment tools and strategies available to teachers, and it’s even possible to come up with your own. However, here are some of the most popular and useful formative assessments being used today.

• Round Robin Charts

Students break out into small groups and are given a blank chart and writing utensils. In these groups, everyone answers an open-ended question about the current lesson. Beyond the question, students can also add any relevant knowledge they have about the topic to their chart. These charts then rotate from group to group, with each group adding their input. Once everyone has written on every chart, the class regroups and discusses the responses. 

• Strategic Questioning

This formative assessment style is quite flexible and can be used in many different settings. You can ask individuals, groups, or the whole class high-level, open-ended questions that start with “why” or “how.” These questions have a two-fold purpose — to gauge how well students are grasping the lesson at hand and to spark a discussion about the topic. 

• Three-Way Summaries

These written summaries of a lesson or subject ask students to complete three separate write-ups of varying lengths: short (10-15 words), medium (30-50 words), and long (75-100). These different lengths test students’ ability to condense everything they’ve learned into a concise statement, or elaborate with more detail. This will demonstrate to you, the teacher, just how much they have learned, and it will also identify any learning gaps. 

• Think-Pair-Share

Think-pair-share asks students to write down their answers to a question posed by the teacher. When they’re done, they break off into pairs and share their answers and discuss. You can then move around the room, dropping in on discussions and getting an idea of how well students are understanding.

• 3-2-1 Countdown

This formative assessment tool can be written or oral and asks students to respond to three very simple prompts: Name three things you didn’t know before, name two things that surprised you about this topic, and name one you want to start doing with what you’ve learned. The exact questions are flexible and can be tailored to whatever unit or lesson you are teaching.

• Classroom Polls

This is a great participation tool to use mid-lesson. At any point, pose a poll question to students and ask them to respond by raising their hand. If you have the capability, you can also use online polling platforms and let students submit their answers on their Chromebooks, tablets, or other devices.

• Exit/Admission Tickets

Exit and admission tickets are quick written exercises that assess a student’s comprehension of a single day’s lesson. As the name suggests, exit tickets are short written summaries of what students learned in class that day, while admission tickets can be performed as short homework assignments that are handed in as students arrive to class.

• One-Minute Papers

This quick, formative assessment tool is most useful at the end of the day to get a complete picture of the classes’ learning that day. Put one minute on the clock and pose a question to students about the primary subject for the day. Typical questions might be:

• What was the main point?
• What questions do you still have?
• What was the most surprising thing you learned?
• What was the most confusing aspect and why?
• Creative Extension Projects

These types of assessments are likely already part of your evaluation strategy and include projects like posters and collage, skit performances, dioramas, keynote presentations, and more. Formative assessments like these allow students to use more creative parts of their skillset to demonstrate their understanding and comprehension and can be an opportunity for individual or group work.

Dipsticks — named after the quick and easy tool we use to check our car’s oil levels — refer to a number of fast, formative assessment tools. These are most effective immediately after giving students feedback and allowing them to practice said skills. Many of the assessments on this list fall into the dipstick categories, but additional options include writing a letter explaining the concepts covered or drawing a sketch to visually represent the topic. 

• Quiz-Like Games and Polls

A majority of students enjoy games of some kind, and incorporating games that test a student’s recall and subject aptitude are a great way to make formative assessment more fun. These could be Jeopardy-like games that you can tailor around a specific topic, or even an online platform that leverages your own lessons. But no matter what game you choose, these are often a big hit with students.

• Interview-Based Assessments

Interview-based assessments are a great way to get first-hand insight into student comprehension of a subject. You can break out into one-on-one sessions with students, or allow them to conduct interviews in small groups. These should be quick, casual conversations that go over the biggest takeaways from your lesson. If you want to provide structure to student conversations, let them try the TAG feedback method — tell your peer something they did well, ask a thoughtful question, and give a positive suggestion.

• Self Assessment

Allow students to take the rubric you use to perform a self assessment of their knowledge or understanding of a topic. Not only will it allow them to reflect on their own work, but it will also very clearly demonstrate the gaps they need filled in. Self assessments should also allow students to highlight where they feel their strengths are so the feedback isn’t entirely negative.

• Participation Cards

Participation cards are a great tool you can use on-the-fly in the middle of a lesson to get a quick read on the entire classes’ level of understanding. Give each student three participation cards — “I agree,” “I disagree,” and “I don’t know how to respond” — and pose questions that they can then respond to with those cards. This will give you a quick gauge of what concepts need more coverage.

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List of Formative Assessment Resources

There are many, many online formative assessment resources available to teachers. Here are just a few of the most widely-used and highly recommended formative assessment sites available.

• Arizona State Dept of Education

FAQs About Formative Assessment

The following frequently asked questions were sourced from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a leading education professional organization of more than 100,000 superintendents, principals, teachers, and advocates.  

Is formative assessment something new?

No and yes. The concept of measuring a student’s comprehension during lessons has existed for centuries. However, the concept of formative assessment as we understand it didn’t appear until approximately 40 years ago, and has progressively expanded into what it is today.

What makes something a formative assessment?

ASCD characterized formative assessment as “a way for teachers and students to gather evidence of learning, engage students in assessment, and use data to improve teaching and learning.” Their definition continues, “when you use an assessment instrument— a test, a quiz, an essay, or any other kind of classroom activity—analytically and diagnostically to measure the process of learning and then, in turn, to inform yourself or your students of progress and guide further learning, you are engaging in formative assessment. If you were to use the same instrument for the sole purpose of gathering data to report to a district or state or to determine a final grade, you would be engaging in summative assessment.”

Does formative assessment work in all content areas?

Absolutely, and it works across all grade levels. Nearly any content area — language arts, math, science, humanities, and even the arts or physical education — can utilize formative assessment in a positive way.

How can formative assessment support the curriculum?

Formative assessment supports curricula by providing real-time feedback on students’ knowledge levels and comprehension of the subject at hand. When teachers regularly utilize formative assessment tools, they can find gaps in student learning and customize lessons to fill those gaps. After term is over, teachers can use this feedback to reshape their curricula.

How can formative assessment be used to establish instructional priorities?

Because formative assessment supports curriculum development and updates, it thereby influences instructional priorities. Through student feedback and formative assessment, teachers are able to gather data about which instructional methods are most (and least) successful. This “data-driven” instruction should yield more positive learning outcomes for students.

Can formative assessment close achievement gaps?

Formative assessment is ideal because it identifies gaps in student knowledge while they’re learning. This allows teachers to make adjustments to close these gaps and help students more successfully master a new skill or topic.

How can I help my students understand formative assessment?

Formative assessment should be framed as a supportive learning tool; it’s a very different tactic than summative assessment strategies. To help students understand this new evaluation style, make sure you utilize it from the first day in the classroom. Introduce a small number of strategies and use them repeatedly so students become familiar with them. Eventually, these formative assessments will become second nature to teachers and students.

Before you tackle formative assessment, or any new teaching strategy for that matter, consider taking a continuing education course. At the University of San Diego School of Professional and Continuing Education, we offer over 500 courses for educators that can be completed entirely online, and many at your own pace. So no matter what your interests are, you can surely find a course — or even a certificate — that suits your needs.

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What Is Formative Assessment and How Should Teachers Use It?

Check student progress as they learn, and adapt to their needs.

Assessments are a regular part of the learning process, giving both teachers and students a chance to measure their progress. There are several common types of assessments, including pre-assessment (diagnostic) and post-assessment (summative). Some educators, though, argue that the most important of all are formative assessments. So, what is formative assessment, and how can you use it effectively with your students? Read on to find out.

What is formative assessment?

Source: KNILT

Formative assessment takes place while learning is still happening. In other words, teachers use formative assessment to gauge student progress throughout a lesson or activity. This can take many forms (see below), depending on the teacher, subject, and learning environment. Here are some key characteristics of this type of assessment:

Low-Stakes (or No-Stakes)

Most formative assessments aren’t graded, or at least aren’t used in calculating student grades at the end of the grading period. Instead, they’re part of the daily give-and-take between teachers and students. They’re often quick and used immediately after teaching a specific objective.

Planned and Part of the Lesson

Rather than just being quick check-for-understanding questions many teachers ask on the fly, formative assessments are built into a lesson or activity. Teachers consider the skills or knowledge they want to check on, and use one of many methods to gather information on student progress. Students can also use formative assessments among themselves for self-assessment and peer feedback.

Used to Make Adjustments to Teaching Plans

After gathering student feedback, teachers use that feedback to make adjustments to their lessons or activities as needed. Students who self-assess then know what areas they still need help with and can ask for assistance.

How is formative assessment different from other assessments?

Source: Helpful Professor

There are three general types of assessment: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Diagnostic assessments are used before learning to determine what students already do and do not know. Think pre-tests and other activities students attempt at the beginning of a unit. Teachers may use these to make some adjustments to their planned lessons, skipping or just recapping what students already know.

Diagnostic assessments are the opposite of summative assessments, which are used at the end of a unit or lesson to determine what students have learned. By comparing diagnostic and summative assessments, teachers and learners can get a clearer picture of how much progress they’ve made.

Formative assessments take place during instruction. They’re used throughout the learning process and help teachers make on-the-go adjustments to instruction and activities as needed.

Why is formative assessment important in the classroom?

These assessments give teachers and students a chance to be sure that meaningful learning is really happening. Teachers can try new methods and gauge their effectiveness. Students can experiment with different learning activities, without fear that they’ll be punished for failure. As Chase Nordengren of the NWEA puts it :

“Formative assessment is a critical tool for educators looking to unlock in-depth information on student learning in a world of change. Rather than focusing on a specific test, formative assessment focuses on practices teachers undertake during learning that provide information on student progress toward learning outcomes.”

It’s all about increasing your ability to connect with students and make their learning more effective and meaningful.

What are some examples of formative assessment?

Source: Writing City

There are so many ways teachers can use formative assessments in the classroom! We’ve highlighted a few perennial favorites, but you can find a big list of 25 creative and effective formative assessments options here .

Exit Tickets

At the end of a lesson or class, pose a question for students to answer before they leave. They can answer using a sticky note, online form, or digital tool.

Kahoot Quizzes

Kids and teachers adore Kahoot! Kids enjoy the gamified fun, while teachers appreciate the ability to analyze the data later to see which topics students understand well and which need more time.

We love Flip (formerly Flipgrid) for helping teachers connect with students who hate speaking up in class. This innovative (and free!) tech tool lets students post selfie videos in response to teacher prompts. Kids can view each other’s videos, commenting and continuing the conversation in a low-key way.

What is your favorite way to use formative assessments in the classroom? Come exchange ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the best tech tools for student assessment ..

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Formative, Summative, and More Types of Assessments in Education

All the best ways to evaluate learning before, during, and after it happens. Continue Reading

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The Power of Formative Assessment: 7 Ways It Can Benefit Learners

As schools increasingly look to personalized learning paths to drive student outcomes, teachers must first understand what their students do and do not know to create those paths. Formative assessment gives teachers the data they need to make informed classroom decisions. 

Formative assessment is an incremental practice to evaluate student learning and provide feedback to improve understanding. It helps teachers assess what students have learned, what they need to learn next, and how to adjust teaching strategies. Implementing formative assessment strategies requires a mindset of continuous improvement and commitment to student-centered learning.

Here are some basic principles of formative assessment:

• Help teachers identify learning objectives and assess student progress.
• Provides ongoing feedback that is timely, relevant, and specific to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual students.
• Formative assessment informs instruction, and teachers can use the data to personalize learning and change their lesson plans, teaching strategies, and instructional materials.
• Involves active student participation in learning, allowing students to be responsible for their education.
• Formative assessment is essential for teachers to help students achieve their learning goals and mastery. Explore the impact formative assessment has on learners.

7 Ways Formative Assessment Benefits Learners

• Increases Confidence & Mastery

Formative assessment creates an environment that celebrates achievements throughout instruction. Students gain valuable practice as they overcome minor challenges. By setting achievable goals and receiving regular feedback, students can see their progress over time, boosting their confidence and motivation and forging their path to mastery.

• Supports Student Engagement

Empowering learners to take an active role in their education fosters an understanding of the value of effort. Instead of passively retaining information, the formative assessment allows students to participate actively in learning. Students reflect on their learning and receive feedback on their progress, which can help them feel more involved and invested in their education . An interactive class environment encourages knowledge-sharing and participation, increasing student engagement .

• Fosters a Growth Mindset

Students receive feedback on their progress rather than their performance, fostering a growth mindset. In addition, students begin to see challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, which boosts their class involvement and commitment to the learning process.

• Strengthens Analytical Skills

Formative assessment prompts students to apply their acquired knowledge and draw conclusions based on their evaluation of the information. These activities help students build their analytical skills by requiring them to think critically and systematically about the information presented. Formative feedback enables learners to recognize task-related strengths and weaknesses, further fostering problem-solving ability.

•  Encourages Students to Develop Responsibility

Students receive timely and personalized feedback from teachers, encouraging self-reflection and action. Practical assessment techniques help students take ownership of their learning and set personal goals. Students develop an intrinsic need to reach their unique milestones as they strive for personal success.

• Builds Communication Skills

As students engage in learning, they discover how to express their ideas effectively. Clear articulation and demonstration of material support content mastery. Therefore assessments that drive communication are valuable. For instance, teachers apply simple class conversations as a quick and informal way to gauge student understanding. 

• Helps Students Develop a Positive View of Assessment

Result-focused assessments can cause student stress, creating an apprehensive learning experience. Educators can transform how students view assessments. By focusing on the student and their opportunity to learn, teachers can improve learning outcomes. Shifting to a learning-based approach helps the students focus on the content, decreasing anxiety and result-based concerns.  

Utilize Multiple Assessment Methods

Various formative assessment methods will help you get a comprehensive picture of student learning. You can also provide learners with voice and choice when demonstrating mastery, which promotes ownership of learning. 

Presentations: Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of the learning material and engage with the class. Presentations can take various forms, such as a slideshow, a video, a poster, or a speech.

Projects: Students use their knowledge of the material and skills to create something new or solve a problem

Collaborative work: Use peer assessment and feedback or group projects to help students learn from each other and develop their teamwork skills.

Observations: We all want to be data-driven, but gathering evidence through open-ended observations is also critical in providing feedback and informing instruction.

Here are a few examples:

• Traditional Poster Board
• Slide Presentation
• Video Presentation
• Peer Feedback
• Group Skits
• Box Diorama
• Clay Models
• Virtual Models

Strategies to Implement Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is an effective tool that prioritizes the learner. Students benefit from skill-building, ongoing feedback, and adjustments to instruction throughout the learning process. Learn how to implement formative assessment in the classroom effectively. 

• Call and respond: Educators can juggle open, closed, and high-order questions while using engagement techniques to boost their Q&A sessions. Closed questions help measure material recall and retention. Open and high-ordered questions require further elaboration, allowing students to express their comprehension of the material. 
• Exit tickets: At the end of a lesson, teachers can provide a short activity or prompt for students to complete to check for understanding. Exit tickets help identify areas where students may need additional support or clarification for the next lesson.
• Conversations: Conversations can be a valuable formative assessment tool in 1:1 or small group discussions. Teachers can gain insight into their thought processes and understanding of the material by engaging in dialogue with students.
• Think-pair-share: Teachers can provide a prompt or question for students to reflect on briefly before discussing with a partner.
• Popsicle Questions
• Class Jeopardy
• Virtual Quiz
• Four Corners
• Venn Diagram
• Quick Share

Formative Assessment Tools for Teachers

Continue to explore effective formative assessment methods and techniques to add impact in the classroom, improve student outcomes, and drive learner success. Learn more about key strategies for impactful formative assessment .

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Embedded Formative Assessment by Dylan Wiliam

William. D (2017) Embedded Formative Assessment: (Strategies for Classroom Assessment That Drives Student Engagement and Learning) (The New Art and Science of Teaching) : Second Edition. Bloomington, USA. Solution Tree Press. 

Dylan Wiliam is to formative assessment what Chris Witty is to Covid

I’m getting used to Dylan Wiliam - I think of him as the David Walliams of Education, the Will-I-Am of Formative Assessment.

I’ve been pointed at his webinars, sat through a keynote or two, read the book and the read pamphlet ‘Inside the Black Box: raising standards from classroom assessment’ which he produced with Paul Black in 1998 and established his reputation. 

In my first pass of note taking I had over 60 quotes and ideas here, not all from Dylan William. With some editing I’ve got this down to 19 ‘Top Tips’ which are all set out ready to quote. 

I’ll go back to the book if needs be for clarification. In this case it is an eBook which makes it very easy as the digital version will correlate to actual print page numbers.

This is how I learn. 

It’s a slow and repetitive process: skim read a book to get the lay of the land, read it with an open notebook, then transfer the notes to a document like this. Then edit the notes and where necessary go back to the original book. Most important of all - give it a go. Over the last five weeks I’ve had a chance to apply some of the thinking to both online remote teaching and in the classroom face-to-face.  

When a book strikes me as really important I am likely to have it in print and eBook - they read differently and you take different things from each. 

These notes are for me to browse, refer back to and use when I next have a formal rationale or observation to write, as well as for every day reflection on the learning and e-learning experience I am currently going through. 

Myth Busting

Wiliam puts the evidence of learning above myth and has a number of bugbears. 

Good teaching is difficult

It is relatively easy to think up cool stuff for students to do in classrooms, but the problem with such an activity-based approach is that too often it is not clear what the students are going to learn. (Wiliam 2017 p.94) 

Wiliam disregards learning styles, ‘which have no discernible impact on student achievement at all’. (Wiliam 2017 p.11 also Adey, Fairbrother, William, Johnson, & Jones, (1999). Rather - ‘as long as teachers vary their teaching style, then it is likely that students will get some experience of being pushed beyond it’. (Wiliam 2017 p.48) 

Nor is Wiliam a  fan of ‘performance of a learning task’ as a predictor of long-term retention of learning (Wiliam 2017 p.47 from Bjork, R.A. (1994) Any mention of ‘neuroscience’ as the panacea annoys him. (Wiliam 2017 p.50) 

There is no shortcut

Wiliam’s firm belief is that formative assessment improves performance. (Wiliam 2017 p.11) His view - ‘the use of assessment for summative purposes - grading, sorting, and ranking students - gets in the way’ of learning. (Wiliam 2017 p.56) Education is overly prescriptive with rubrics. (Wiliam p.93 in Alfied Kohn (2006)

No one can do the learning for the student who does not engage.

Our classrooms seem to be based on the principle that if teachers try really hard, they can do the learning for the learners. (Wiliam 2017 p.225) 

According to Wiliam there is little evidence that the following ‘tricks’ have any impact of student achievement:

Summarisation

Highlighting

Keyword mnemonic

Image use for text learning

Rereading (Wiliam 2017 p.225) 

Wiliam sets out five key stages of formative assessment : 

Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and success criteria.

Eliciting evidence of learning

Providing feedback that moves learning forward

Activating learners as instructional resources for one another

Activating learners as owner of their own learning

The Assessment Reform Group puts it this way. Assessment to improve learning requires five elements to be in place (cited Broadfoot et al., 1999) (Wiliam 2017 p.61)

Providing effective feedback to students

Actively involving students in their own learning

Adjusting teaching to take into account the assessment results

Recognising the profound influence assessment has on student’s motivation and self-esteem, both of which are crucial influences on learning.

Needing students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve.

Challenge them!

I like Wiliam’s thinking that ‘good instruction creates desirable difficulties’ - that we learn and retain knowledge through struggling with it. (Wiliam, 2017 p.11) I know from personal experience that the greater the struggle I am willing to endure, the deeper and the longer lasting my learning. It is when I can face the struggle … that I struggle.  Good instruction creates what he describes as ‘desirable difficulties’ (Wiliam, 2017 p.47) quoting Bjork (1994, p.193).

Pedagogy Over Curriculum

‘A bad curriculum well taught is usually a better experience for students than a good curriculum badly taught’. (Wiliam, 2017 p.11) I rather think we can apply this to many situations, for example, that pedagogy comes first - not EdTech. 

Formative Assessment above all else 

The Wiliam mantra is that, ‘attention to minute-by-minute and day-to-day formative assessment is likely to have the biggest impact on student outcomes’. (Wiliam 2017 p.42) He defines formative assessment as ‘the process used by teachers and students to recognise and respond to student learning in order to enhance that learning, during the learning’. (Wiliam 2017 p.59). Formative assessment, according to Bloom (1969) is a kind of evaluation - ‘a brief test used by teachers and students as aids in the learning process. (Wiliam, 2017 p.53 in Bloom (1969) It is ‘the process used by teachers and students to recognise and respond to student learning in order to enhance that learning, during the learning. (Cowie & Bell, 1999 p.32) It is ‘assessment carried out during the instructional process for the purpose of improving teaching or learning’. (Wiliam 2017 p.59 in Shepard et al., 2005 p.275) 

I like this : ‘Frequent, interactive assessment of students’ progress and understanding to identify learning needs and adjust appropriately.’ (Wiliam 2017 p.59 from Looney 2005)

And if you need more ways to think of it, try this: ‘assessment, for learning tells ‘us’ ‘what progress each student is making toward meeting each standard while the learning is happening - when there’s still time to be helpful (Wiliam 2017 p.62 from Looney 2005 (pp1-2) Stiggins (2005)

All kinds of formative assessment are not equal

(Wiliam 2017 p.62) 

‘The evidence is clear that the shorter the assessment - interpretation - action cycle becomes the greater the impact on student achievement’. (Wiliam, 2016). He continues, ‘short-cycle formative assessment has to be the priority for schools and teachers, because the impact on students is greater. (Wiliam p.75) 

‘ … regular use of minute-by-minute and day-to-day classroom formative assessment can substantially improve student achievement’. (Wiliam 2017 p.81)

Design backwards from the learning outcome

(Wiliam 2017 p.81 from Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (2000)

Three issues in the development of learning intentions and success criteria that may be useful to think about. (Wiliam p.95)

Task-specific versus generic scoring rubrics.

Product-focused versus process-focused criteria

Official versus student-friendly language

NOTE :> By being specific about what we want, we focus the students learning too much. ‘He who never made a mistake, never made a discover’ (Wiliam 2017 p.95 quoting Samuel Smiles (1862 p.275)

There are a number of techniques which appealed when I read about them and I have used them. These are techniques to help students understand and achieve learning intentions. (Wiliam 2017 p.104 from Clarke (2001)

This is simple, these phrases work 

WALT ‘We are learning to … ‘

WILF ‘What I’m looking for … ‘

TIB ‘This is because … ‘ 

Student Engagement Techniques

The teacher asks a question, selects a student to answer the question and then responds to the student’s answer, which is generally some kind of evaluation of what the student said. (Wiliam 2017 p.124) Teacher-Led classroom discussion.

Try some of these:

Evaluative listening

Interpretive listening

Questions shells

Hot-seat questioning

All student response systems

Mini Whiteboards

Exit passes

Discussion vs. diagnostic questions

Alternative questions

Pose a question, pick a student at random

Pose-pause-pounce-bounce

5 seconds - pause

Pounce-random choice

Bounce-what do you think (Wiliam 2017 p.129) 

App or Lollipop sticks (Wiliam 2017 p.129) 

These techniques are used to ensure that all students realise that all are expected to tke part and that it is ok to make mistakes. If someone does not provide a response then come back to them and tell them  “OK, I’ll come back to you”.  (Wiliam 2017 p.132) 

Then seek Response 2 and 3 and then return to the person who gave no response and ask them which reply they liked the best and ask them why.

‘Engagement and responsiveness - are at the heart of effective formative assessment’. (Wiliam 2017 p.142) 

Managing Challenging Behaviour

To change the behaviour criticise the behaviour not the student. (Wiliam 2017 p.171) 

It is quality rather than the quantity of praise that is most important - teacher praise is far more effective if it is infrequent, credible, contingent, specific, and genuine. (Brophy, 1981 in Wiliam 2017 p.171)

The use of feedback improves performance when it is focussed on what needs to be done to improve, and particularly when it gives specific details about how to improve. (Wiliam 2017 p.180)

“It's up to me, and I can do something about it”.  (Wiliam 2017 p.183)

When students have to struggled in the learning task, the quality of their performance on this task reduces, but the amount of learning that takes placed increases (Wiliam 2017 p.190)

Feedback functions formatively only if the learner uses the information feedback to him or her to improve performance. If educators intend the information fed back to the learner to be helpful but the learner cannot use it to improve his or her performance, it is not formative.

Motivation is not a cause but a consequence of achievement (In Wiliam 20176 p.234) from Garon-Carrier et al., 2016)

Like sports coaching, teaching takes time to master

It takes years for even the most capable of coach to break down a long learning journey from where the student is right now - to where he or she needs to be. (Wiliam 2017 p.193)

Feedback should cause thinking

Feedback for Future Action. (Wiliam 2017 p.194) 

To be effective, feedback needs to direct attention to what's next, rather than focusing on how well or poorly the student did on the work, and this rarely happens in the typical classroom.

The response from the student to feedback should be ‘cognitive rather than emotional’ (Wiliam 2017 p.205) In other words, feedback should cause thinking by creating desirable difficulties.

Peer tutoring can be more effective than one-on-one tutorial instruction from a teacher. This is because of the ‘change in power relationships’. (Wiliam 2017 p.209)

And regarding students online not using their webcams he believed you can see how a student is really taking it by seeing their faces (Wiliam 2017 p.209)

Student Reporter

Put students in a group towards the end of the class so that they can discuss then report back on what has been taught.

Two Techniques that work 

(Wiliam 2017 p230)

Practice Testing 

Distributed Practice

These received high ratings because they were effective with learners of different ages and abilities and were shown to boost students’ performance across many kinds of tasks, and there was plenty of evidence that they worked in educational contexts.

If students complete a practice test and get immediate feedback on their answers, students will get the benefit of the hypercorrection effect for those questions where they were correct. (Wiliam 2017 p.231)

Setting Goals

Students are more motivated to reach goals that are specific, are within reach, and offer some degree of challenge. (Wiliam 2017 p.236 in Bandura, 1986)

When the goals seem out of reach students may give up on increasing competence and instead avoid harm, by focusing on lower-level goals they know they can reach or avoiding failing altogether by disengaging from the task. (Wiliam 2017 p.236)

Think ‘how am I going to teach this and what are the pupils going to learn?’ (Wiliam 2017 p.79) 

Having an in-depth understanding of the curriculum may be of more benefit to student progress than advanced study of a subject on the part of the teacher.

Students don't learn what we teach. (Wiliam 2017 p.77) 

Teaching the goal. Driving as teaching. (Wiliam 2017 p.78)

‘When the pressure is on, most of us behave as if lecturing works but deep down inside we know it’s ineffective’. (Wiliam 2017 p.80)

The teacher’s job is not to transmit knowledge, nor to facilitate learning. It is to engineer effective learning environments for students. (Wiliam 2017 p.80)

Learners of all ages need to understand what it is that they need to learn and be able to monitor their progress toward their goal. (Wiliam 2017 p.95) 

Don’t simply plan the instructional activity, but also plan how you are going to find out where the students are in their learning. You need to be clear about what we want students to learn (Wiliam 2017 p.115)

Ask questions either to cause thinkin and to provide information for the teacher about what to do next. (Wiliam 2017 p.126)

Beware - those avoiding engagement are forgoing the opportunities to increase their ability.

The most important factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows - the teachers job is to ascertain this and to teach accordingly. (Wiliam 2017 p.166) 

Much of the feedback that students get has little or no effect on their learning, and some kinds of feedback are actually counterproductive. (Wiliam 2017 p.167) 

Do not mix grades and comments, just stick to comments. (Wiliam 2017 p.167) 

Oral feedback is best. (Wiliam 2017 p.174)

Too often feedback is counterproductive. (Wiliam 2017 p.178)

Don’t provide students with feedback unless you allow time, in class, to work on using the feedback to improve their work. (Wiliam 2017 p.195) 

Feedback should be more work for them than you! (Wiliam 2017 p.195) 

A simple approach to feedback. Pick out two things to praise, then express what they need to do a constructive wish. He calls the technique ‘two stars and a wish’. (Wiliam 2017 p.214)

Teachers have a crucial role to play in designing the situations in which learning takes place, but only learners create learning. Wiliam 2017 p.246)

Adey, Fairbrother, William, Johnson, & Jones, (1999) p.36 A review of learning styles and learning strategies. London. King’s College London Centre for Advanced Thinking. 

Ausubel (1968) Educational psychology. A Cognitive view. New York. Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Bjork, R.A. (1994) Memory and metamemory consideration in the training of human beings. In J.Metcalfe & A.P. Shimamura (eds) Metacognition : Knowing about knowing (pp.188-205) Cambridge, MA MIT Press. 

Bloom, B.S. (1969) Some theoretical issues relating to educational evaluation, In H.G. Richey & R.W. Tyler (Eds). Educational evaluation : New roles, new means, part 2 (Vol.68, pp. 26-50_ Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

Brophy, H (1981) Teacher praise: A functional analysis. Review of Educational Research, 51 (i), 5-32

Clarke, S (2001) Unlocking Formative Assessment. London, Hodder & Stoughton

Cowie, B & Bell, B (1999) A Model for formative assessment in science education. Assessment in Education : Principles, Policy and Practice. 6(1), 101-116

Looney, J (ed) (2005) Formative Assessment: improving learning in secondary classroom. Paris. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development.

Shepard et al., 2005 p.275 in L.Darling-Hammon & J.Bransford (Eds) preparing teaching for a changing world : what teachers should learn and be able to do (pp.215-326)

Soderstrom, N.C., & Bjork, R.A. (2015) Learning versus performance : An integrative review. Perspectives on Psychological Science 10 (2), 176-199. 

Stiggins R.J. (2005) Assessment for learning defined. 

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2000) Understanding by design. New York. Prentice Hall.

William, D. (2016) Leadership for teacher learning . Creating a culture where all teachers improv so that all students succeed. West Palm Beach , FL, Learning Sciences International.

William, D (2017) Embedded Formative Assessment: (Strategies for Classroom Assessment That Drives Student Engagement and Learning) (The New Art and Science of Teaching) : Second Edition 

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Using Drawings for Formative Assessment

Asking middle and high school students to sketch something they’re learning can give teachers a clear sense of what they do and don’t understand.

Formative assessments, when done regularly at key points during the learning process, are windows into what students misunderstand or question about a concept or topic. Inviting students to process and express their understanding with drawings offers teachers incredible insights about what instructional moves to make next.

Asking Students to Draw as They Learn

Drawing while we learn allows us to capture a concept, image, event, or object and frees up cognitive space so that we can begin to think critically. If I quickly sketch a few characters from a novel with a small but key detail distinguishing each one, along with arrows depicting their relationships across generations, I can now think critically about those relationships, how characters influence each other, and how they develop throughout the story. Similarly, if I roughly sketch elements of a scientific process, I can begin to think about their functions and how they are integrated.

Drawing as we learn requires abstract and metaphorical thinking about the content, which helps us retain and understand it in more sophisticated ways. A student who draws as they learn considers the following:

• How should I represent the relationship between these parts?
• How large/small should I draw these parts?
• What shape should they be?
• Where do I place each part?

Because students make many decisions as they translate content into visuals, teachers can uncover their preconceptions, their misconceptions, the depth of their understanding, and what excites them about the content.

Building Confidence in Drawing as a Learning Tool

Drawing has significant learning benefits, and it’s important to integrate it into a full academic experience. We can equip students with basic tools to become confident in drawing and allow them to use various methods to process and express their thinking. We can ignite interest in a topic by offering variety in modes of learning. Also, leveraging intuitive thinking appeals to students’ diverse skills.

Students don’t need developed artistic skill to experience the cognitive benefits of drawing as they learn. But, it’s also important to ease any anxiety and dispel myths about visual work.

1. Offer drawing as one of a few options for students to process and demonstrate their learning.

2. Model the drawing option you offer. Replace fixed-mindset language like “I can’t draw” with narration describing your process: “I want to show that the elements build on each other, so I’ll draw boxes on top of each other.”

Dan Santat’s series #DrawLikeAKid demonstrates how to draw a lot of things with just a few shapes and the letters of the alphabet.

3. Prompt students to reflect on their experiences in drawings so that they begin to understand it as a helpful learning tool. 

• How well did I recall the material after having represented it in my drawings?
• When would drawing as I learn be useful? When is it not useful?

Using Students’ Drawings to Inform Instruction

The feedback we offer on student drawings and the instructional choices we make next are as critical as the drawing.

Students mimic the jargon or vocabulary they read or hear, which can obscure what they actually understand. As a formative assessment, verbal communication can be problematic because it can be difficult for the teacher to grasp what students truly understand. When students draw as they explain, it’s almost impossible to obscure their knowledge. Obvious misunderstandings, along with subtler mistakes, make their way into students’ drawings.

Here are some ways to integrate drawing as formative assessment:

• Line-color-symbol: Draw a line, choose a color, or select a symbol that represents your current understanding of the concept we are learning. Be prepared to explain your choice.
• Draw an image that represents (gravity, how an argumentative essay is structured, the relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist, the limbic system).
• Using only simple shapes (circles, squares, triangles), represent the relationships between (characters, principles, events, laws, mathematical concepts).
• Create a comic/sequential art to represent a system, to distill key elements of a story or event, or to order essential steps of a process and represent cause-and-effect relationships.

To effectively use students’ drawings as formative assessment data, consider the following as you examine their visuals:

• What facts, relationships, sequences, etc., does the student understand?
• What key elements have been overlooked?
• What factors are somewhat misrepresented?
• How were certain factors, relationships, details, etc., represented?
• How do students’ drawings compare? What patterns do you see? What is distinctive about some of them?
• What insights do their drawings offer about the content?

While reviewing a middle school student’s visualization of the scientific process of making bread (below), I notice that he understands some key concepts: He knows there are two proteins that bind to form gluten, and his simple drawings demonstrate why each wouldn’t, on its own, result in glutenous fluffy bread. But I wonder if he understands the roles that amino acids, water, mixing, and kneading play in this equation.

In my feedback, I’d acknowledge the elements he correctly illustrates. Then, to determine if he understands the complexity of the process, I‘d ask him: Are these the only elements needed for the two proteins to result in gluten? What could be missing? Where and how could you draw it?

When we see thinking represented in visual form, we—students and teachers—get valuable insights into the concepts involved. We learn from what others see, the choices they make to represent an idea, and even the misconceptions they might have.

Thinking is messy —we generally don't follow a rigid and consistent procedure to think through problems, though a steady step-by-step process is often used to solve a math problem, form a hypothesis, or write an argument. Offering students structured opportunities to represent their thinking with drawing allows them to demonstrate their unique processes for thinking about complex concepts and problems and arriving at creative solutions.

When we see their thinking, we discover the subtleties of what they do and do not yet understand, so we can better prepare to solidify their understanding and build on it in our next lesson.

Learn how to navigate your dashboard, access formatives, view scores and communicate with your teacher!

Click here to learn about the new Student Home Page!

This article is intended for students (and parents of K-12 students) to navigate and use Formative!

We’re excited for you to use Formative this year! Whether learning from a school building or from home, Formative allows teachers to give assignments securely online, assess progress, and more effectively support every student's learning!

Formative's benefits:

Allowing the teacher to see responses to assignments in real-time so they can provide feedback and support immediately!

Tracking growth by assignments and standards so the teacher and student can understand their progress towards mastery.

Facilitating teachers and students to exchange messages about their work securely online.

Formative is safe and private. Students cannot access other students’ work or send messages to other students.

If you need to set up an account or instructions on how to login please see this linked article!

In this article you will learn about:

Joining the correct class.

Navigating your Home Page

Taking formative assignments

Tracking your progress

Communicating with your teacher.

Troubleshooting

When a Formative Student Account is created on your behalf by your teacher or school administrator, it is most likely that they have already added you to the correct classes, and you will see these classes on your home page when you log in however, that may not always be the case.

By default the classes displayed on the home page will be only classes that had activity (a formative assigned) in them in the last 3 months. If a class had no activity for the last 3 months it will be hidden from view, in this case click on the gear icon (settings) at the top right corner of the screen and then click "show inactive classes" to display a list of them on the home screen as well.

If you are missing any classes and they are not on the Inactive Classes list either, you will need to ask your teacher to add you to them, or join the classes manually.

To join a class manually, you will need to get either a Join Link or a Join Code from your teacher.

If your teacher chooses to email you a Join Link, simply click that link and once you're logged in to your Formative account, the class will be added to your list automatically.

If your teacher chooses to provide you with a Join Code, log in to your account and click "Join Code" in the lower left corner of your screen (the bottom most option in the left side menu), and proceed to enter the Join Code there. Once entered, the class will be added to your list.

Navigating your Home Page in Formative

Please note that if your school uses a system like Google Classroom, Blackbaud, etc you will most likely access your Formative assignments through those platforms instead of directly through Formative. Check with your teacher for guidance!

When logged into Formative, and as long as your teacher assigned formatives to your class(es), you will see your assignments and performance on standards from your home page

Your notifications (the bell icon) will show you any feedback your teacher has provided.

Check out this article for more information on the Student Home Page!

Missing assignments?

If any of the assignments that were assigned to your current class are missing from your home page, please reach out to your teacher to inquire about them. It is likely that the teacher is the one preventing access to these assignments and they can also release them to be viewed again.

If you're missing past assignments from past classes, it is most likely due to the old class being archived by the teacher or the school. Your scores are saved with them in your "inactive classes" list.

Note: If assignments are posted through another system like Google Classroom, you will access them from ther e

Responding to formatives / assignments

Here is our article about answering every question that goes into detail about the types of questions you may see on an assignment. Please refer to it for technical instructions.

Depending on the settings you teacher chose for the formative, you may have the option to check your score as you are working on the assignment. This option will only be available if the question is automatically graded, no keyboard entries are needed, and your teacher chose to return scores instantly.

Clicking on "Check Answer" at the bottom right corner of the question will allow you to see how you scored on that question. Formative will record the amount of attempts made and will display the number of attempts for your teacher to view.

As you respond to questions on a formative, a progress bar will be presented to you at the top of the screen. The different icons on the progress bar indicate the status of each of the questions you have completed (see image below for visual references).

These statuses can be any of the following:

A red circle indicates there's Feedback from your teacher for this question

A red triangle indicates an error in the submission of this question. Please go back and check for anything that needs adjusting

A gray circle indicates a question has been completed

A yellow flag indicates the question is incomplete, yet not required (you will be able to submit your work without completing it)

A red star indicates the question is incomplete and required, meaning you will not be able to submit your work without completing it.

If your teacher added a Show Your Work box to a required question , and you did not choose to use it, there will be an indication of "Incomplete Non-Required" on the Show Your Work" box itself.

Once you've finished answering your formative, click "submit" to turn in your assignment. Your teacher will decide if you are able to see your assignment or check your scores after it has been submitted. If you submit before you finish answering, only your teacher can give you access to the assignment again.

Retaking a formative

At times, your teacher may choose to allow multiple attempts (retakes) on the same formative. If this is the case, the amount of available retakes will be visible to you on the dashboard.

Where to locate a formative with multiple attempts

The location of the formative with multiple attempts on your lists will depend on its' current status:

Newly assigned formatives that you have not attempted yet at all, will appear on the your To-Do Formatives list, and will display how many retakes will be available to you after you complete your first attempt (i.e. the total amount of attempts will be the number of retakes listed + one original attempt. In the example below, you will have a total of 3 attempts - the original attempt + 2 retakes):

Formatives that have been attempted at least once , and still have additional available attempts on them will appear on your Retakes list, and will display the number of remaining attempts:

Formatives on which all attempts have been taken , or that were closed by the teacher (even if not all attempts were taken advantage of), will appear on the your Submitted list. The score displayed will reflect ONLY the last and final attempt submitted, or the final score entered by the teacher manually (if the teacher adjusted the final score for you):

What happens when you retake a formative?

As soon you have submitted an attempt of the formative, you will be presented with an option to either take another attempt immediately, or to exit the formative and use the option to retake at a later time. The number of remaining attempts will be listed on this pop-up message as well.

If you choos to retake the assignment immediately, the formative will re-open immediately.

If you selects to exit the assignment you will be able to click back into it by locating it on your dashboard under the Retakes list (as shown above) - when you click back into the formative you will again be presented with the option to begin another attempt immediately or re-exit the assignment to retake it at a later time.

Once you select to Retake Assignment the formative will re-open, and:

Any question you previously answered correctly will have the formerly entered answer already filled out on display. While you have the option to change these answers if you choose to, there is no need to do so - the correct answers will be saved and you can skip to the next question.

Any question you previously answered incorrectly will appear unanswered at this time, and you will need to enter a new response for the system to grade.

Any question that requires manual scoring by the teacher such as question types that are not possible to automatically score (for example, a Video Response) will NOT be saved in between attempts UNLESS already scored by the teacher. If the teacher has not scored them yet, they will be treated in the same way as questions that were answered incorrectly and will appear unanswered upon the following attempt(s), meaning you will need to enter a new response. If the teacher manually scores these before you begin another attempt, the score and the previously entered response will be saved and display for you when retaking the formative.

Messaging with your teacher on retakes

Any feedback message you receive from your teacher (or send them) on an individual question while taking the formative - on any of the attempts - will carry over to all the following attempts. This will allow both you and your teacher to maintain a flow of communication throughout the whole process - from the moment the formative is assigned to you until the you have finished taking all possible attempts.

Your teacher will determine if you can see your score or look at your assignment after you've submitted it. If you're not able to see your score, check with your teacher, but they may have hidden it from view.

Many Formative assignments are automatically graded based on your teacher's answer key, but more complicated questions still require manual grading and your teacher may wait until they have finished all grading before giving access to scores.

If your school tracks progress by standard-based teaching, your assignments may have those standards tagged to the questions! You'll be able to track your progress against the standards by using the "Tracker" tab on your dashboard.

Open the Tracker, verify that the filter is set up with the appropriate date range, and view your scores according to the standards.

If there's nothing here, then your teacher or school may not have tagged the standards to your Formative assignments.

You can also check out your Formative achievements! For every assignment you submit and every question you answer, you'll level up in Formative. Just click on "My Account" and select "Achievements" to see how you're tackling the challenges!

Depending on your teacher's subscription type with Formative, you may have the ability to communicate with your teacher directly through your Formative assignment. If you want to explain your reasoning or ask about a question, just click the little conversation text icon on the right side corner below the question and type your feedback into the prompt:

Hit "Send" to send it directly to your teacher. ​

You can also click on the blue plus sign in the text box to include an image, audio recording, or other content besides just text!

Your teacher can respond or leave feedback for you too! It will show up in your notifications on your dashboard and under the applicable question on the assignment.

You can send messages through Formative only to your teacher and other students will not be able to read what you've written in the feedback section.

As mentioned above, any messages you receive from your teacher (or send them) while taking a formative with multiple attempts on it, will carry over to all the following attempts. This will allow both you and your teacher to maintain a flow of communication throughout the whole process - from the moment the formative is assigned to you until the you have finished taking all possible attempts.

LockDown Browser

If your teacher is requiring a formative to be launched from the Formative LockDown Browser, when you open the formative you will see a prompt to open the LockDown Browser.

If the LockDown Browser has not yet been installed onyour device file, you will be prompted to download the Respondus LockDown Browser file before being able to enter the formative.

Any application running in the background that needs to be shut off will produce a prompt to shut down the application, and only then the LockDown Browser will launch the formative.

You can still use the links and embedded materials added into the formative in LockDown Browser mode, however if you attempt to open a link that is beyond what your teacher has added into the formative you will receive a notification that the tab was blocked.

As you work on a formative secured in a LockDown Browser mode, you still have the ability to communicate with your teacher via the in-app messaging system; and responses will still come in live. ​

Using the Quit Password

If you are using a Mac, Windows or iPad device and the teacher has defined a Quit Password for the formative, you will be able to use the Quit Password to exit the LockDown Browser.

To enter the Quit Password:

Click on the "i" button on the top left menu

In the popup window - click on "Proctor Exit"

Enter the Quit Password and confirm to exit.

Note: Quit Passwords are supported on Windows, Mac and iPad devices only. They are not supported on Chromebooks.

The video below will walk you through how to use Respondus LockDown Browser within Formative:

Launching LockDown Browser on a Chromebook

If you are using a Chromebook make sure you launch LockDown Browser by selecting “Formative” from the Apps link on your login screen (see screenshot below). When the Formative App starts, the login page will appear and you can login and navigate to the exam. During an exam, you will be locked into the testing environment until the assessment is submitted for grading. Once the exam is complete you must restart the Chromebook to fully exit the exam. Note: Quit Passwords are not supported on Chromebooks at this time!

If your Chromebook device becomes non responsive, please take the device to your school's IT department and have them check if the physical power button on the Chromebook is not working and replace the device if that is the case. On Chromebooks, after you submit your exam there is a page that instructs you to press the physical power button to power down or sign-out to exit the LockDown Browser Mode. On some older Chromebook devices where the physical power button is broken you have no way to exit the LockDown Browser Mode. The only way out in these cases is to pull the battery. This will not affect anything outside of the LockDown Browser Mode as outside of it you can always workaround a broken power button and use the software shutdown instead. For this reason, it is important to have the issue properly diagnosed by IT. ​​

Troubleshooting Common issues:

Sso not working - wrong profile.

If you share your device with anyone else, there may be multiple profiles set up on it. Please make sure you log into your device with the same login you use for Google SSO. Check that your profile icon is correct in the upper right corner of Chrome. Select the correct profile when using SSO.

SSO looping

If your SSO is looping you back to the log-in screen or leaving you stuck with a blank screen or error message, try clearing your cache and cookies. (This process differs depending on your browser or device so search for instructions for your particular setup.)

If you get an "Oops, something went wrong!" error you may have an unstable network connection. Check your network speed. If you are using your phone to log in to Formative, ensure you are on WiFi or have enough bars of service.

Incorrect password

If you normally use SSO through Google, Clever, or MS Teams, you should not be entering an email/username or password. Simply click the appropriate SSO icon and follow the prompts.

Verify that you are using the correct email address and not a personal one.

You can reset your password through the "Forgot password?" link on the login screen. Just enter your email address and we'll send you a link to reset your password. Didn't get an email? Be sure to check your spam, promotions, or junk folders! Check that you entered the one you use to log into Formative and not a different personal one.

If you're in class, you can ask your teacher to reset your password for you as well!

Accidentally signed up as a teacher account:

You may have signed up as a teacher account if your teacher experienced this error while inviting students to your class: "This user currently has a teacher account. Only students can be invited to a section."

You will need to create a student account to join any classrooms. The signup steps above should guide you to create a student account without any issues. If, however, you created an account on your own and accidentally selected a Teacher account, you will not be able to join classrooms or access assignments. If you find yourself unable to join a class, check that you have the right type of account:

If you accidentally signed up as a teacher, you need to delete your Formative account and sign up as a student.

Log in and follow these directions:

From the lower left corner of the screen, click on your initials and then “Account Info”

Scroll down until you see "Advanced settings," then click on that to reveal the "Delete My Account" button:

Browser issues:

Many common problems such as "Oops! Something went wrong!" errors are caused by your browser.

Ensure your browser is up to date. Formative works best with the latest version of Chrome or Safari.

Check your network connectivity. If you're accessing Formative on a phone, ensure you have enough bars or are connected to WiFi.

If you have pop-up blockers or ad-blockers installed, these may be preventing certain Formative features from working. Try removing them and other extensions if you run into issues loading parts of Formative.

You have to enable third-party cookies and allow website tracking in order to view embedded items like PDFs, videos, audio, or images. If embedded content isn't loading, it is probably cookie settings or a browser extension blocking it.

What's next?

Learn how to answer the different questions types within Formative

Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, what is the difference between formative and summative assessment, formative assessment.

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:

• help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
• help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes , which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:

• draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
• submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
• turn in a research proposal for early feedback

Summative assessment

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Summative assessments are often high stakes , which means that they have a high point value. Examples of summative assessments include:

• a midterm exam
• a final project
• a senior recital

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or faculty use it to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent courses.

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Formative Assessment is Key to Being Responsive

As students move through a lesson, some acquire information and skills more quickly than others. Some students will need additional support, scaffolds, feedback, or reteaching to understand key concepts and apply specific strategies, processes, or skills. We must collect formative assessment data in each lesson to understand our students’ progress and respond to their needs.

Formative assessment is a process of gathering information about students’ understanding and their progress toward firm standards-aligned learning goals. Formative assessment helps teachers gauge how effective their instruction has been at helping students learn concepts and apply skills. The goals of formative assessment include:

• Build regular informal assessments into each lesson to collect data.
• Understand whether instruction needs to be modified or differentiated to meet specific students’ needs.
• Check for understanding.
• Identify misconceptions or gaps.

Unlike summative assessment, which typically occurs at the end of a learning cycle to evaluate students’ overall progress toward the unit’s desired results, formative assessment is ongoing and designed to inform instruction, indicate areas where additional differentiation is needed, and guide learning.

Formative assessment should also serve as a tool for students to develop a heightened awareness of their strengths, limitations, and growth. When teachers share formative assessment data with students, it becomes a powerful tool for goal setting, progress monitoring, and reflection . In our book, The Shift to Student-led , Dr. Novak and I dedicate a chapter to reimagining formative assessment as simply a teacher tool and share a collection of strategies designed to transform formative assessment into a metacognitive tool for learners!

Formative Assessment Strategies

There are different categories of formative assessment, including observational assessments, checks for understanding, and formative feedback. Let’s explore examples in each category of formative assessment.

Observational Assessments

The teacher’s observations of student behaviors, interactions, and work provide valuable qualitative data (or information that is descriptive and non-numeric) that complements quantitative assessments, like quizzes that produce numerical data. Techniques such as anecdotal records, checklists, and rating scales allow educators to gain insights into students’ progress, engagement, and learning strategies.

1. Observations with a Checklist: Simply observing our students at work can provide valuable insights into their behaviors, interactions, and level of understanding during classroom activities. This approach is particularly beneficial for capturing qualitative data that complements quantitative assessments and helps us make informed instructional decisions.

Teachers can use observations with a checklist when students are:

• Engaged in group activities or discussions to monitor individual participation and contributions.
• Working independently or in pairs to assess their engagement, problem-solving strategies, and use of resources.
• Completing hands-on tasks or projects to evaluate their skills, collaboration, and attention to task requirements.

Teachers might include the following items on a checklist:

• Participation: Is the student actively engaged in the activity/discussion?
• Contribution: Does the student contribute relevant ideas, questions, or solutions?
• Collaboration: How effectively does the student work with peers, share responsibilities, and communicate?
• Problem-solving: Can students apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to overcome challenges?
• Use of Resources: Is the student effectively utilizing available resources (e.g., materials, technology, references)?
• Task Completion: To what extent does the student complete tasks accurately and within the given timeframe?
• Understanding: Does the student clearly understand concepts, instructions, and learning objectives?

2. Observation Paired with a Simple Rubric: Assessing students’ performance or behavior using a simple standards-aligned, mastery-based rubric during classroom activities provides a clear strategy for teachers to provide students with transparent and clear feedback on their areas of strength and those needing improvement.

For example, suppose small groups of students are discussing a text they’ve read, a video they watched, or a podcast they listened to. In that case, the teacher can move around the room observing students and circling language on the rubric to informally assess their participation in the discussion or their understanding of the content. At the end of the discussion, the teacher can distribute the rubrics and ask students to review their assessment and reflect on what they learned.

Check for Understanding

This category is essential for assessing students’ comprehension, identifying misconceptions, and measuring progress toward learning objectives. Quick checks like quizzes, exit tickets, and questioning techniques provide valuable insights into students’ understanding.

1. Tell Me How: Instead of relying solely on written explanations to assess what students know or can do, video requires that students communicate verbally. For some students, this is easier; however, it may be more challenging for others. It’s important to mix it up so that students who struggle to communicate their ideas verbally have opportunities to practice when the stakes are low. Conversely, it gives students who excel at verbally articulating their thoughts the chance to surface their learning that way.

Ask students to record a video:

• Explaining how they solved a problem
• Describing the strategies they used to complete a task
• Summarizing the main ideas from a chapter in a textbook
• Making predictions about what they expect to happen in a lab or a novel
• Identifying a new vocabulary word and explaining it to their peers
• Reflecting on what they understand as well as what is confusing about a topic, text, or task

2. Create An Analogy: Ask students to make a comparison or create an analogy. An analogy or comparison challenges students to think about the quality or characteristic of a concept, phenomenon, object, etc. to explain how it is similar to something else.

3. Error Analysis: Generate a series of problems or a work sample containing errors. Ask students to find the mistakes, correct them, and explain (in writing or verbally in a video recording) how they knew the errors were present and how they went about fixing them.

4. 3-2-1 Activity : Ask students to complete the following prompts. What are three things they learned? What two questions do they have? What is one thing they would like more help with or are confused about?

Formative Feedback

Providing timely, specific, and actionable feedback is critical for guiding students’ learning and helping them improve. Formative feedback helps students understand their strengths, areas for improvement, and how to progress toward learning goals effectively.

1. Real-time Feedback in a Teacher-led Station: Teachers using the station rotation model should dedicate their teacher-led station to real-time feedback sessions whenever students are working on a process (e.g., formal writing assignment, performance task, project). That way, they can pull the feedback loop into the classroom, making it focused, timely, and actionable.

2. Structured Peer Feedback: Incorporate peer feedback activities where students review and provide feedback on each other’s work. Use structured protocols or rubrics to guide the peer feedback process and ensure constructive and meaningful feedback.

3. Feedback Conferences: Schedule one-on-one or small group conferences with students to discuss their progress, review their work, and provide personalized feedback. Use this time to address specific questions, clarify concepts, and set goals for improvement. Teachers using the playlist model can build “teacher check-ins” into their playlists to ensure students pause their progress and meet with the teachers to receive feedback on their work.

4. AI Feedback Paired with Reflection: Teaching students to use an AI chatbot, like Co-pilot or ChatGPT, to receive feedback on their work provides them with a 24/7 feedback source. However, for this strategy to yield valuable formative assessment data for the teacher and students, teachers need to work with students to develop prompts they can use to elicit quality feedback from an AI tool.

• Given the prompt [insert prompt], does my response address the question entirely?
• Does this sound cohesive, or are there areas where I need to add transitions?
• Are there any technical or mechanical errors that need to be corrected?
• Do any of my points need additional evidence or explanation to support my claim?
• Is my opening statement compelling?
• Are there any words that are repeated or that might be replaced with more powerful or compelling vocabulary?

Teachers should pair AI feedback sessions with a reflection tool to help students capture what they learned from AI and reflect on what that feedback tells them about their areas of strength and areas in need of improvement or development.

Virtual Coaching Video

In the virtual coaching video below, I highlight the value of using formative assessment data to track students’ progress and respond to students’ needs.

Harnessing the power of formative assessment is about more than just gathering data. It’s about fostering a dynamic, student-centered approach to learning that provides teachers and students with the data needed to understand their progress, needs, and growth. Integrating formative assessment strategies seamlessly into your teaching practices allows teachers to monitor progress and facilitate more personalized learning experiences that foster continuous improvement.

Formative assessment serves as a cornerstone for creating a responsive, inclusive, and engaging classroom environment. It provides educators with invaluable insights into students’ understanding, learning trajectories, and areas for growth. This real-time feedback loop allows teachers to tailor instruction, offer targeted support, and guide students toward meaningful progress.

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