Advancing Formative Assessment Using Instructional Adjustments to Check for Understanding

Formative Assessments Popham -1 - Implementing one of Popham's four "steps" should be regular and a part of the everyday classroom management edict. For instance, as instructor's collect evidence, they must decide whether to proceed, review, or change instruction; students use evidence of understanding to help them reroute thinking processes ro adjust learning procedures; and, depending on the climate of the classroom, both teachers and students should adjust assessment by using different types of checking for understanding and learning targets.

Popham 2 -- Traditional evidence-gathering tools often rely on tests -- selected response items (multiple choice, true false) or constructed responses (short answer or essay). In a typical classroom, learning is a three step process; teacher lectures, students memorize or read, students take test. Popham suggests an alternate approach. Popham 3 -- One non-traditional approach suggested by Popham (pp 59+) is that of using higher level, or socratic questioning, to assess understanding. It is a random response using key questions that lead to an answer but do not provide one.

If the response is satisfactory, the teacher might as "why" or form additional questions based on the first student's answer. If the answer is unsatisfactory, whatever good points are emphasized and a new student is chosen to add to the response. This invigorates the classroom and allows for a number of learning styles and approaches. Fisher 1 -- In general, formative assessment is a self-reflective process that helps students attain a better understanding of whether they have mastered material.

Feedback from learning is actual, not theoretical, and has meaning as opposed to simply a percentage or "grade." The instructor- or supervisor, may formatively assess by listening, responding to questions, ask questions, and interact. The point of the technqiue is to get to the heart of evaluation by moving from rote memorization towards insisting that students learn to analyze and synthesize. Summative assessments are typically done at the end of a lesson, a unit, or sometimes even a school period (quarter, semester).

Formative assessments are typically more valuable because they allow both student and teach to "check" for understanding and adapt accordingly. Fisher 2 - Checking for understanding allows the instructor to find out what background knowledge students bring to the classroom, what they know during and after a lesson, if they are understanding the lesson, and models appropriate questioning methods that may be translated into learning opportunities. Understanding by design approaches a learning target backwards -- what is the outcome, goal or object for student learning; then plan the instructional methods accordingly.

Fisher 3 -- In a differentiated classroom, the learning targets, curriculum, and even subject focus are alignted to the specific needs of the student or learner. Checking for understanding is critical if targets are to be aligned to a specific population or group so that the instructor ensures that the learning targets are not only met summatively, but in a regular, formative manner as well. Brookhart 1a -- Statements made by the instructor (or curriculum) based on specific standards that need to be met.

Learning targets are student friendly in that they are specific.