Not all teachers are aware of the fact that formative assessments should be used to modify their own teaching approach, and not merely to see if students are doing their homework. Teachers should also be more willing to pool their collective knowledge and resources, so they can exchange ideas about using different forms of formative assessments besides quizzes. 3. Formative assessments are as much of a "check in" for me as your child. I am trying to "check" to see what he or she does not understand.

4. The overemphasis on standardized testing can cause teachers to focus too much on the stated goals of the lesson, and not enough on the process of learning. It is not possible to remove this impediment, however. Instead teachers should find ways to make formative assessment useful in meeting the goals set for the class. Students should be encouraged to use periodic formative assessments as a guide for improvement. Through frequent feedback, teachers can encourage...

This requires careful organization the part of the teacher. It also requires giving individual attention to students' unique needs and development, as revealed through short, periodic formative assessments.
. Until teachers can understand the usefulness of formative assessment as feedback, there will always be greater importance attached to the 'big tests' at the end of the unit. Motivating students to care about shorter assignments through the use of grades is not necessarily a bad thing, but the instructional purposes of the quizzes and short-term assignments should be clear to the teacher and hopefully to the class.

References

Garrison, Catherine & Michael Ehringhaus (2011).Formative and summative assessment.

National and Middle School Association. Retrieved March 29, 2011 at http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx