Looking at Formative Assessments

Formative assessments are, by definition, assessments that are used constantly to determine student mastery. They are a tool that can be used to reshape teaching. In order to use formative assessment correctly, an educator must first understand both his/her curriculum and what the state/school district expects a student to know at the end of the course.

This is very difficult for many educators, because we tend to want the freedom to teach and grade that which we are the most comfortable, not necessarily what is best for the student. Formative assessments can not be integrated without examining and understanding the curriculum. This requires some “grunt work” prior to teaching. In other words, once we have the curriculum, we still need to develop activities, assignments and assessments that align with the learning objectives.

From Professional Learning Board’s online continuing education course for teachers: Formative Assessment