Formative assessment

Formative assessment gathers evidence of student understanding during learning and uses it to guide teaching and next steps.

Feedback: Information about performance or understanding used to guide improvement. Formative assessment turns evidence into guidance students can use to improve.
Assessment: The systematic gathering and interpretation of evidence about knowledge, skills, or performance. Formative assessment is one purpose-driven approach within the broader practice of assessment.
Think-pair-share: A classroom routine in which students think individually, discuss in pairs, and share with a group. Teachers can listen to paired reasoning and identify misconceptions before whole-class instruction.
Paul Black: A British educational researcher known for work on assessment and science education. His research helped establish formative assessment as a practical means of improving learning.
Standardized testing: Testing administered and scored under consistent procedures across a large group. Standardized tests typically support comparison or accountability rather than immediate lesson adjustments.
Learning intentions: Statements describing what learners are expected to know or do. Clear goals make assessment evidence interpretable against intended learning.
Learning objectives: Statements of the knowledge or skills a lesson or course aims to develop. Evidence can guide instruction only when its intended learning target is clear.
Peer assessment: Students evaluate one another’s work against shared goals or criteria. Peer judgments can generate evidence and feedback during an ongoing learning task.
Dylan Wiliam: A British educational researcher known for developing and studying classroom assessment practices. His work with Paul Black brought formative assessment strategies to broad attention.
Grading: Assigning symbols or scores to represent the quality or level of student work. A grade summarizes performance but does not itself ensure evidence guides next steps.

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