What is Formative Assessment?
Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides explicit feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes.1 Formative assessment is a method of continually evaluating students’ academic needs and development within the classroom and precedes local benchmark assessments and state-mandated summative assessments.
Teachers who engage in formative assessments give continual, explicit feedback to students and assist them in answering the following questions:
Teachers who engage in formative assessments give continual, explicit feedback to students and assist them in answering the following questions:
- Where am I going?
- Where am I now?
- How can I close the gap between the two?2