Rina Akotonas, Access Project Director, Amal, January 2011

Research from cognitive psychology tells us that learning involves the active construction of schemata in a process in which learners engage with and attempt to make sense of new knowledge and incorporate it into their developing mental structures or schemata

Assessment is an integral part of the Learning Process. The process includes the following parts organized in a moving circle: Planning Teaching and Learning Summative Assessment Feedback

I give only a test per month. I prepare my tests when I plan a unit. I test all the skills at the end of a unit. I test my students every 3 lessons. When I give back marked works I talk to each student about them. I keep evidence of my student’s progress. I make a test at the beginning of the year to know my students’ level.

Which of the statements above refer to SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT ? Which ones refer to FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ? What does each of the term refer to?

SUMMATIVE implies that a teacher assesses a student after he has been teaching. FORMATIVE implies that a teacher assesses a student before and while teaching. Most teachers use only the first one.

It is a tool, not a strategy It is based on results only It doesn’t show progress It is material oriented It is teacher oriented It will not drive enough positive change in teaching and learning

Formative assessment is not a tool, but a process. Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning. Teachers and students assume the roles of partners in the learning process.

1. teachers make adjustments to teaching and learning in response to assessment evidence; 2. students receive feedback about their learning with advice on what they can do to improve; 3. and students participate in the process through self-assessment.

It is made to close the gap between the learner’s current status and desired goals. It uses the information to make changes in teaching, as well as to provide feedback to the students about how they can improve their own learning. It is made of suggestions, hints, or clues, rather than praise or comments about performance

The teacher's role in formative assessment is not simply to use feedback to promote content learning, but also  to help students understand the goal being aimed for,  assist them to develop the skills to make judgments about their learning in relation to the standard,  and establish a repertoire of operational strategies to regulate their own learning.

 “I used to do a lot of explaining, but now I do a lot of questioning.  I used to do a lot of talking, but now I do a lot of listening.  I used to think about teaching the curriculum, but now I think about teaching the student.” (Shawn’s emphases) (Heritage, 2010, p. 4).

 Staffs meet to fix what, when and how they assess their students.  The first step must be a diagnosis test to be able to identify a class’ profile.  The teacher adapts the policy of the staff to his classes.  The teacher collects evidence of his students’ learning : class work, quizzes, tests, creative tasks…  The teacher finds time to talk to his students about their strengths and weaknesses and gives advice about what to do.

If you want to make TEACHING and LEARNING meaningful and make your students THINK and PROGRESS start using FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT