Formative Assessment

I think that on the whole, teachers believe in the value of formative assessment. I also believe that there is still some uncertainty about what formative assessment can look like. And of course, some very real concerns about the time it takes to assess it so that it becomes an effective piece in the student's portfolio.

I was reading an article by Linda Dacey and Karen Gartland in the online newsletter Math Solutions titled, "Lessons from the Classroom: Post-Assessment Tasks". (A sample student response is pictured here.)

This particular assessment focusses on similar triangles at a gr.6-8 level. How would the responses be different from your gr.10 applied students? The task is open and the responses offer some real insight into the students' understanding and into where the gaps (possibly) lie. (At least it allows the teacher to further probe as to whether it is in fact still a gap or simply an ommission.)

Challenge: Select the "big idea(s)" from the unit as a starting point. Create an open assessment task that will allow you into their inner thoughts about the big idea.

The Real Challenge: Use the information gathered to guide your instruction for the remainder of the unit. Allow the insight to start the conversation within your department. Is this the same stumbling block every year? Are we spending the appropriate amount of time planning and delivering this topic? Reflect, reflect, reflect. Revisit again.

With standardized tests, like it or not, the reality is that we are very concerned with ensuring that our students not only maintain previous year's performance results but also improve upon their collective performance every year. No band-aid solution here; formative assessment anyone?