Formative Assessment Ideas

1. Formative Assessment Ideas Homework: Most homework that is set falls in to one of two types. Finishing Off: …is the most widely set homework. It is the completion of class work. It is also proven to be the least effective type for progressing pupil learning Independent Study Task: … is the other and is often unfocused and without structure, guidance or monitoring There is a third type, which a number of teachers already do. It is proven to have the greatest impact on progression and can help to assess pupils’ initial knowledge prior to a new topic… 3. Prep for the Future: … Homework or research for a future topic that you intend to introduce in coming weeks. …why teach a new topic or scheme of work in the coming weeks if it is clear that pupils already grasp it – and why set homework if: You already know that they understand it based on classroom formative assessment They see it as a pointless task and have no intention of putting the effort in Because more often than not it is a pointless task You have no time to effectively mark it. Even if you have time to mark it, you’re moving on to a new topic and so pupils won’t get the chance to improve it. Homework has value and should be set – but don’t set it unless it is with the intention of progressing or assessing pupils’ learning

2. Formative Assessment Ideas Whiteboards, Interactive Whiteboards and Powerpoints: Powerpoints and interactive whiteboards can be great ICT resources in the classroom, however whizzing slide after slide in front of the eyes of young people can be far less effective than building up a continuous development of information on the board. This allows pupils to look at the lesson as a whole and to see how the lesson has developed and where links can be made. This is used extensively in Japan where 80% of what is written on the board / displayed is still there at the end of the lesson Take a look at sites like www.prezi.com which allow you to get a complete overview of presentations.

3. Formative Assessment Ideas Assessment Levels Despite being a force behind the introduction of assessment levels for pupils in the 1980’s, Prof. Dylan Wiliam is now vehemently against them now due to their misuse. Assessment for Learning is NOT about pupils knowing what level they are at (despite OFSTED expecting it) – it is about pupils knowing what they did to achieve that level and, more importantly what they need to do to progress. Research shows that assessment levels from teachers are accurate to one full assessment level either side – i.e. a pupil that one teacher says is a Level 5, could in fact be a Level 4 or Level 6 (a big difference) which renders sub-levels as an even more inaccurate tool for measuring attainment. We all know that telling pupils their grade instead of offering comments to aid progression shows no gain in their achievement when improving work – and yet we still do it because we think it is what OFSTED wants. Advice – Research shows that withholding the grade and giving them effective feedback regarding what they need to do to improve will have a 30% greater impact when they come to re-draft or improve work.

4. Formative Assessment Ideas Using Summative Assessment for Formative Purposes Pupils are very good at spotting mistakes in other peoples work but less able to spot it in their own. Having them analyse past papers or exemplar coursework can have a big impact on pupil progression. See if they can spot why a piece of work was Band 1. What would they needed to do to improve it further. Once they have seen it in others’ work, they are far more likely to be able to successfully self assess their own work. Have pupils take a greater responsibility for their own learning and progression. Remember - If you are working harder than the pupils then there is an imbalance in the division of labour and they are far likely to be able to work independently in the future. School should not be a place where pupils go to watch teacher work!

5. Formative Assessment Ideas Hey Teacher! Leave them kids alone! Sometimes the best learning happens when the teacher is out of the way. When pupils are engaged in paired or small group work; try not to interrupt pupils with questions to find out what they’re doing and how they’re getting on. Try circling the room and listening rather than asking. It’s just as effective at assessing understanding but doesn’t halt their progress. By all means monitor, but don’t feel you always have to do!

6. Formative Assessment Ideas Think Time Allow 5 seconds of think time after asking a question to the class. More pupils are likely to respond if given the time to reflect – and, in turn, more pupils are likely to become engaged in the discussion/topic and grasp it better. Likewise, when asking questions to the class. Don’t interrupt the pupil and start evaluating (what you think is) their answer before they’ve finished – you’re jumping to conclusions about what you’re expecting them to say, rather than allowing the learning to happen. Therefore try to allow 3 seconds at the end of a pupils response before – you’ll be surprised by how many pupils are still working the answers out as they are talking and adapt what they thought was the right answer to the actual correct one before they’ve finished speaking.

7. Formative Assessment Ideas Questions. Could yours be more effective at stimulating thought and learning? Find time to plan effective questions for the schemes of work / individual lessons you teach. What do you really want them to grasp / understand? What is the best way of assessing whether this has happened? When planning questions, say it with the fewest amount of words and then shut up – don’t busk or blag and ask questions just for the sake of it. Questions that ramble on unnecessarily just leave pupils forgetting what it was you even started to talk about in the first place. Try to ask questions which stimulate high order thought and provoke discussion and further questions. This will engage the pupils better and should allow you to formatively assess their understanding. Carefully constructed closed questions can be as effective as open questioning for this.

8. Formative Assessment Ideas Which are most effective for formatively assessing progress? Closed questions or open questions? Closed questioning is very good for assessing pupil progress when planned well. We are often encouraged as trainees to ask open questions so that pupils can provide detailed responses. However a well thought through closed question with a clear right or wrong answer should allow a teacher to quickly formatively assess their pupils understanding, whilst stimulating higher order thought which is far better for learning than simply recalling information. An example of this could be “Which way does light travel? A) From the object to the eye? or B) From the eye to the object? One is right, one is wrong so assessment is clear, whilst high order thinking and debate is also provoked.

9. Formative Assessment Ideas Assessing current understanding Red, Amber and Green Cups or flashcards / Red and green discs Useful for those not comfortable asking for help or revealing to the class that they need help. Green = I understand and can get on with my work Amber = I kind of understand but need some support or clarification on certain aspects in order to progress Red = I don’t understand and am unable to progress any further. Red and green discs can be used to quickly assess who understands a topic / concept and who needs further support. These could also be used to answer carefully prepared closed questions, e.g. “Hold up your red disc if you think the answer is A ... Or hold up your green disc if you think the answer is B.”

10. Formative Assessment Ideas Lolly sticks / No hands up rule A tool used to engage and assess the progress of all pupils and reduce the achievement gap between those that regularly like to answer and those that choose not to. Pupils names are placed on wooden lolly sticks and, when asking a question, a lolly stick is taken from the cup with the name of the person selected to attempt the answer. An alternative is to perhaps start with 2 questions to random pupils and the third is an open ‘hands up’ question. This involves all – like the lolly sticks but keeps those that love putting their hands up involved too.

11. Formative Assessment Ideas A,B,C,D flashcards / Assessment level and Mark criteria descriptors Flashcards with A,B,C and D printed on can be a great tool for questioning and assessing whole class progress and understanding. It can have a distinct gameshow feel to it that, when presented as such, can engage more disaffected pupils. Assessment level descriptors and mark criteria descriptors can have a similar impact when used to self and peer assess work. When held aloft, it allows the teacher to immediately see what pupils recognise as Band 2 work or Level 6 work and can stimulate useful discussion if pupils follow-up with explanations why. It can also be used as an analytical tool for identifying specific features in exemplar work when using key phrases from the descriptors.

12. Formative Assessment Ideas Initiation / Response / Evaluation (I-R-E) IRE is a teacher led, three part sequence that begins with the teacher asking a student a question or introducing a topic for the purpose of finding out whether the student knows the answer. In the I-R-E pattern, the student answer is evaluated by the teacher, who makes a brief reply such as “good,” or “No, that’s not right.” Then the interaction ends. This is in contrast to the more effective I-R-F communication pattern. Initiation / Response / Follow-up (I-R-F) The I-R-F sequence begins, as before, with the teacher asking a question or introducing a topic. After a response is given by the student, the initiator then uses the response to move the conversation forward. The conversation can continue for as long as the participators wish to talk about the subject and will include contributions from many more people in the class Questioning techniques to engage all Try basketball questioning rather than table tennis – i.e. If they don’t know the answer ask things that will continue to engage (or include others in the question) rather than throwing it back to the teacher to either answer for them or redirect to somebody who already knows e.g. “but if you did know then what would you say?” or “ Do you want to phone a friend?” Try to avoid I-R-E questioning in favour of an I-R-F sequence to engage more of the class.

13. Formative Assessment Ideas Mini whiteboards and other cheap alternatives Mini whiteboards are an invaluable and widely underrated resource for gauging collective responses from a class to aid in the formative assessment of progress and understanding. Photocopied resources can also be used in a similar way when placed in clear plastic sleeves, e.g. A copy of a map. Pupils can annotate straight onto the plastic sleeve with whiteboard pens and wipe away afterwards without damaging your resources to give you an immediate overview of pupils understanding– this can be a cheap and reusable alternative to whiteboards for specific formative assessment.

14. Formative Assessment Ideas Exit Passes Write a key question, linked to your learning objective, that you feel they need to grasp on an ‘exit card’ towards the end of the lesson. They then hand the answer card to you as they leave the lesson. You don’t need to read until them until after they have left. It should help determine where your next lesson should start and who grasps the topic and who needs further support.

15. Formative Assessment Ideas Personal Bests Used to great effect in PE. Don’t compare pupil attainment to the rest of the class, compare to their previous best and whether they are making progress since the last assessment. It will aid motivation and should take some of the ego out of feedback – i.e. Who is a ‘good’ student.

16. Formative Assessment Ideas Retiming assessments Staging assessments ¾ of the way through the unit can have a far greater impact than end of unit summative assessments. The learning needs in the responses should determine what you plan and teach in the last ¼ and provide pupils with the opportunities to improve their work, progress and close the ability gap.