Formative Assessment
- Submitted by: bonnita
- Views: 1611
- Category: Other
- Date Submitted: 02/09/2011 12:20 PM
- Pages: 5
- Report this Essay
In this essay I aim to analyse and explain the different types of formative assessments and where I have used them in my own teaching practise.
Assessments are the core-measuring document that allows us as teachers to document learners’ achievements, knowledge, skills and beliefs within education. There are various different forms of assessment.
Educational researcher Robert Stake (Spurling 2008) explains the difference between formative and summative assessment as:
“When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative. When the guests taste the soup that’s summative.”
Summative assessments come in the form of end an end of unit or term exam to summarise what the student has achieved during the course of their learning. Qualifications such as GCSE and A level are very summative. Schools and further educational institutions are able to compare what level the individual has achieved in comparison to criteria based academic standards. This is otherwise known as criterion-referenced assessment (Gravell, 2008).
Formative assessment is when teachers through out the year do small learning checks in order to respond to learning. These small learning checks may be done in the form of an assessment, discussion, a piece of work or even a small activity that indicates what an individual may or may not comprehend. Formative assessments are said to allow learners to take education into their own hands allowing them to be student centred/focused as an formative assessment informs not only the teach but also the learner of their current academic level of understanding and achievement.
Petty (2008, pg. 449) describes formative assessment as “The main use of assessment for teachers is the on going or formative assessment. This is used throughout the course to inform judgement on whether, and to what extent learning has been successful and to pinpoint difficulties so that remedial action can be taken”
Assessments inform teachers of the different adaptation that can also be made...
Assessments are the core-measuring document that allows us as teachers to document learners’ achievements, knowledge, skills and beliefs within education. There are various different forms of assessment.
Educational researcher Robert Stake (Spurling 2008) explains the difference between formative and summative assessment as:
“When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative. When the guests taste the soup that’s summative.”
Summative assessments come in the form of end an end of unit or term exam to summarise what the student has achieved during the course of their learning. Qualifications such as GCSE and A level are very summative. Schools and further educational institutions are able to compare what level the individual has achieved in comparison to criteria based academic standards. This is otherwise known as criterion-referenced assessment (Gravell, 2008).
Formative assessment is when teachers through out the year do small learning checks in order to respond to learning. These small learning checks may be done in the form of an assessment, discussion, a piece of work or even a small activity that indicates what an individual may or may not comprehend. Formative assessments are said to allow learners to take education into their own hands allowing them to be student centred/focused as an formative assessment informs not only the teach but also the learner of their current academic level of understanding and achievement.
Petty (2008, pg. 449) describes formative assessment as “The main use of assessment for teachers is the on going or formative assessment. This is used throughout the course to inform judgement on whether, and to what extent learning has been successful and to pinpoint difficulties so that remedial action can be taken”
Assessments inform teachers of the different adaptation that can also be made...