One of the best ways to check students’ growth every single day and help them to learn better and grow stronger is through formative assessment. This powerful approach helps teachers understand students’ knowledge and what they still need to learn. It also guides them to achieve academic success.
STEP Schools successfully use formative evaluation to promote continuous learning in students. Moreover, this approach perfectly fits with STEP Schools mission to deliver 21st-century and student-centred education.
This blog is all about formative assessment, why it is important, and how it helps every student become a confident and independent learner. Later, we will explore how STEP Schools uses this method to strengthen learning and help every child gain their full potential.
What is Formative Assessment?
It is the range of assessment procedures used to display and evaluate students’ learning and understanding during the learning process. Teachers will adapt teaching methods through formative assessment. In this way, they become capable of addressing the learning needs of students better.
More precisely, formative evaluation is a way of checking what students know while they are still learning, not just at the end. It means giving feedback, seeing students’ weaknesses and strengths, and then adjusting teaching and learning accordingly.
Difference between Formative and Summative Assessment
Formative assessment is different from summative assessment. Formative type of assessment evaluates student learning by providing constant feedback to improve learning. It generally involves low stakes, which means it has no or low point value. Some examples are a concept map to represent a topic in class, mini class quizzes, group discussions, etc.
While the summative assessment monitors student learning at the end of an instructional unit by linking it to a benchmark. It generally involves high stakes, which means it has high point value. Some examples are a midterm exam, a paper, or a final project, etc.
Why Formative Assessment Matters?
Here, formative evaluation matters a lot. This is because it does not wait for the final exam to assess students. But it is the ongoing assessment during teaching and guides the next steps of teaching and learning. Moreover, it also finds the gaps and makes learning more personal and effective.
You can say that formative evaluation improves learning while summative assessment measures learning. With formative evaluation, there is still a chance to improve learning before the summative assessment is made.
Students improved a lot during this time period and performed well in their final exams. Thus, it made the summative assessment more positive, impactful, and successful.
Moreover, teachers can guide personalised learning in real-time. It can be done using small and regular checks. It helps students stay on track and encourages growth and curiosity. Both students and teachers work together to identify what has already been learned and where improvement is required. Together, they take the next step forward.
What are the Benefits of Formative Assessment?
There are many impactful benefits of the formative evaluation. Some of them are given below:
Improved Academic Achievement
Students use the feedback provided by the formative assessments to progress towards their educational goals. This results in higher academic achievement and fills the gap between persistent knowledge and the new knowledge that needs to be acquired.
Development of complex instructional strategies
Formative evaluations are applied to various interventions. It is predominantly valuable for educating a broad range, merged instructional strategies, in which many components are consistently applied at the same time.
Provide clear goals and objectives
Through formative evaluation, teachers are encouraged to clarify their goals and objectives for every lesson. Teachers quickly adjust their teaching techniques to ensure students stay on track as the lesson progresses. This also helps the teacher identify confusing points.
Motivates learning
Formative evaluation has a significant benefit to student learning. Students are motivated to move forward within the academic world and improve their performance dramatically. Further, it stimulates and entertains students and maximises enthusiasm and engagement.
Prepares for summative assessment
Effective feedback leads to learning gains and has benefits across all content areas, knowledge, and skill types. Formative assessment prepares students for summative assessments, especially innovative assessments.
Promote self-regulated learning
The learning value of formative assessment supports learning improvement toward a course’s intended learning outcomes. Moreover, it enhances student skills in areas as Self-Regulated Learning (SRL).
In this way, they monitor and take responsibility to fulfil their educational goals. Also, this allows them to review and correct their work independently and become autonomous thinkers.
Identify weaknesses and strengths
Providing feedback through various formative assessment techniques, such as quizzes, questions, and discussions, helps students learn their strengths and weaknesses. The detailed and direct comments related to learning allow students to recognise their mistakes and make improvements.
Increases Rigor
The data from formative evaluation can help teachers better determine the students’ needs. With that information, teachers can produce a more rigorous learning environment. It will help students grow and help them become successful.
Why Formative Assessment Makes Sense at STEP Schools?
At STEP Schools, formative evaluation supports 21st-century learning experiences and builds skills very well. Here’s why formative evaluation makes sense for STEP Schools due to
- Student-centred learning lets the teacher meet each student where they are.
- Feedback and a growth mindset that allows students to feel more confident and motivated.
- Better outcomes as formative evaluation effectively improves learning.
- Formative evaluation aligns with modern teaching, such as STEAM, project-based learning, and technology integration, etc.
- Continuous evaluation is part of STEP Schools teaching strategy, which means assessment is not just once in a while, but it is ongoing.
Formative Assessment Phases at STEP Schools
STEP Schools can implement a strong formative evaluation programme through the different phases given below:
Phase 1: Planning & Goals Setting
In this phase, learning intentions and success criteria are set by teachers and shared with students. Teachers at STEP Schools align these goals with the 21st-century skills and curriculum. In this way, students aim better and understand what they are already doing good and what they need to do to improve.
Phase 2: Checking Prior Knowledge & Diagnostic
As the name of this phase implies, it involves checking former students knowledge by asking simple questions or mini tasks. STEP Schools use technological integration and in-class activities to assess the current knowledge of students.
It matters because the teacher will be able to diagnose clear and confusing concepts and make strategies accordingly.
Phase 3: Ongoing Monitoring & Assessment for Learning
During this phase, monitoring of students is done by STEP Schools using various strategies of formative assessment
- Quick checks
- Peer or self-assessment
- Mini quizzes
- Usage of technology tools
On the basis of the above strategies, teachers at STEP Schools observe, listen, ask questions, and then note down their issues. This is the core of formative evaluation because it certifies that learning gets adjusted in real time. It supports continuous evaluation rather than just assessment of learning.
Phase 4: Adjusting Teaching and Learning
This phase analyses the evidence gained through tasks and observations. It helps them to identify which students are flourishing and which ones are struggling. Here, STEP Schools teachers adjust the teaching plan, and students adjust their learning.
These adjustments can be dynamic at STEP Schools because of the student-centred and tech-integrated environment. This involves e-learning modules, extra practice in ICT labs, STEAM projects, etc. Formative assessment will fail without adjustment.
Phase 5: Reflection & Next Steps
During this phase, reflection is given to students, and planning is made for further steps. Also, students set learning goals and start working on them. STEP Schools write the reflection and share feedback with parents as well through their home-school partnership.
Reflection helps combine learning. It helps students own their learning and prepares them for continuous evaluation.
Become an Advanced Learner at STEP Schools
Students at STEP Schools do not just prepare for tests but also prepare for life through formative assessment. Each child becomes more confident and capable by receiving regular feedback and goal settings.
Get Admission in STEP Schools. Learn how students’ futures are shaped through meaningful assessments and smart teaching.
Conclusion
Formative assessment is a vibrant tool in modern education. At STEP Schools, students learn better through responsive and personal teaching and learning. Formative evaluation is used effectively at STEP Schools through different phases that focus on 21st-century skills, technology, student-centred learning, and modern methods.
FAQ’s
What is formative assessment?
It is a way teachers check students’ learning during the lesson and make them ready for the final test.
How is formativeevaluationdifferent from summative assessment?
Formative evaluation guide improvement step by step, and happens during learning, while summative assessments occur at the end to measure what students have learned.
HowdoSTEP Schools use formative assessment?
Teachers at STEP Schools use small quizzes, class discussions, projects based on PBL and STEAM, and feedback sessions to track progress.
Why is formative assessment important for students?
It helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses. They can improve faster and become more active learners with regular feedback.
How can parents support formative assessment at home?
Parents should encourage children to reflect and practise regularly. This helps reinforce what they learn at school.