essay formative assessment

14 Examples of Formative Assessment [+FAQs]

Traditional student assessment typically comes in the form of a test, pop quiz, or more thorough final exam. But as many teachers will tell you, these rarely tell the whole story or accurately determine just how well a student has learned a concept or lesson.

That’s why many teachers are utilizing formative assessments. While formative assessment is not necessarily a new tool, it is becoming increasingly popular amongst K-12 educators across all subject levels. 

Curious? Read on to learn more about types of formative assessment and where you can access additional resources to help you incorporate this new evaluation style into your classroom.

What is Formative Assessment?

Online education glossary EdGlossary defines formative assessment as “a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course.” They continue, “formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support.”

The primary reason educators utilize formative assessment, and its primary goal, is to measure a student’s understanding while instruction is happening. Formative assessments allow teachers to collect lots of information about a student’s comprehension while they’re learning, which in turn allows them to make adjustments and improvements in the moment. And, the results speak for themselves — formative assessment has been proven to be highly effective in raising the level of student attainment, increasing equity of student outcomes, and improving students’ ability to learn, according to a study from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 

On the flipside of the assessment coin is summative assessments, which are what we typically use to evaluate student learning. Summative assessments are used after a specific instructional period, such as at the end of a unit, course, semester, or even school year. As learning and formative assessment expert Paul Black puts it, “when the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative assessment. When a customer tastes the soup, that’s summative assessment.”

14 Examples of Formative Assessment Tools & Strategies

There are many types of formative assessment tools and strategies available to teachers, and it’s even possible to come up with your own. However, here are some of the most popular and useful formative assessments being used today.

• Round Robin Charts

Students break out into small groups and are given a blank chart and writing utensils. In these groups, everyone answers an open-ended question about the current lesson. Beyond the question, students can also add any relevant knowledge they have about the topic to their chart. These charts then rotate from group to group, with each group adding their input. Once everyone has written on every chart, the class regroups and discusses the responses. 

• Strategic Questioning

This formative assessment style is quite flexible and can be used in many different settings. You can ask individuals, groups, or the whole class high-level, open-ended questions that start with “why” or “how.” These questions have a two-fold purpose — to gauge how well students are grasping the lesson at hand and to spark a discussion about the topic. 

• Three-Way Summaries

These written summaries of a lesson or subject ask students to complete three separate write-ups of varying lengths: short (10-15 words), medium (30-50 words), and long (75-100). These different lengths test students’ ability to condense everything they’ve learned into a concise statement, or elaborate with more detail. This will demonstrate to you, the teacher, just how much they have learned, and it will also identify any learning gaps. 

• Think-Pair-Share

Think-pair-share asks students to write down their answers to a question posed by the teacher. When they’re done, they break off into pairs and share their answers and discuss. You can then move around the room, dropping in on discussions and getting an idea of how well students are understanding.

• 3-2-1 Countdown

This formative assessment tool can be written or oral and asks students to respond to three very simple prompts: Name three things you didn’t know before, name two things that surprised you about this topic, and name one you want to start doing with what you’ve learned. The exact questions are flexible and can be tailored to whatever unit or lesson you are teaching.

• Classroom Polls

This is a great participation tool to use mid-lesson. At any point, pose a poll question to students and ask them to respond by raising their hand. If you have the capability, you can also use online polling platforms and let students submit their answers on their Chromebooks, tablets, or other devices.

• Exit/Admission Tickets

Exit and admission tickets are quick written exercises that assess a student’s comprehension of a single day’s lesson. As the name suggests, exit tickets are short written summaries of what students learned in class that day, while admission tickets can be performed as short homework assignments that are handed in as students arrive to class.

• One-Minute Papers

This quick, formative assessment tool is most useful at the end of the day to get a complete picture of the classes’ learning that day. Put one minute on the clock and pose a question to students about the primary subject for the day. Typical questions might be:

• What was the main point?
• What questions do you still have?
• What was the most surprising thing you learned?
• What was the most confusing aspect and why?
• Creative Extension Projects

These types of assessments are likely already part of your evaluation strategy and include projects like posters and collage, skit performances, dioramas, keynote presentations, and more. Formative assessments like these allow students to use more creative parts of their skillset to demonstrate their understanding and comprehension and can be an opportunity for individual or group work.

Dipsticks — named after the quick and easy tool we use to check our car’s oil levels — refer to a number of fast, formative assessment tools. These are most effective immediately after giving students feedback and allowing them to practice said skills. Many of the assessments on this list fall into the dipstick categories, but additional options include writing a letter explaining the concepts covered or drawing a sketch to visually represent the topic. 

• Quiz-Like Games and Polls

A majority of students enjoy games of some kind, and incorporating games that test a student’s recall and subject aptitude are a great way to make formative assessment more fun. These could be Jeopardy-like games that you can tailor around a specific topic, or even an online platform that leverages your own lessons. But no matter what game you choose, these are often a big hit with students.

• Interview-Based Assessments

Interview-based assessments are a great way to get first-hand insight into student comprehension of a subject. You can break out into one-on-one sessions with students, or allow them to conduct interviews in small groups. These should be quick, casual conversations that go over the biggest takeaways from your lesson. If you want to provide structure to student conversations, let them try the TAG feedback method — tell your peer something they did well, ask a thoughtful question, and give a positive suggestion.

• Self Assessment

Allow students to take the rubric you use to perform a self assessment of their knowledge or understanding of a topic. Not only will it allow them to reflect on their own work, but it will also very clearly demonstrate the gaps they need filled in. Self assessments should also allow students to highlight where they feel their strengths are so the feedback isn’t entirely negative.

• Participation Cards

Participation cards are a great tool you can use on-the-fly in the middle of a lesson to get a quick read on the entire classes’ level of understanding. Give each student three participation cards — “I agree,” “I disagree,” and “I don’t know how to respond” — and pose questions that they can then respond to with those cards. This will give you a quick gauge of what concepts need more coverage.

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List of Formative Assessment Resources

There are many, many online formative assessment resources available to teachers. Here are just a few of the most widely-used and highly recommended formative assessment sites available.

• Arizona State Dept of Education

FAQs About Formative Assessment

The following frequently asked questions were sourced from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a leading education professional organization of more than 100,000 superintendents, principals, teachers, and advocates.  

Is formative assessment something new?

No and yes. The concept of measuring a student’s comprehension during lessons has existed for centuries. However, the concept of formative assessment as we understand it didn’t appear until approximately 40 years ago, and has progressively expanded into what it is today.

What makes something a formative assessment?

ASCD characterized formative assessment as “a way for teachers and students to gather evidence of learning, engage students in assessment, and use data to improve teaching and learning.” Their definition continues, “when you use an assessment instrument— a test, a quiz, an essay, or any other kind of classroom activity—analytically and diagnostically to measure the process of learning and then, in turn, to inform yourself or your students of progress and guide further learning, you are engaging in formative assessment. If you were to use the same instrument for the sole purpose of gathering data to report to a district or state or to determine a final grade, you would be engaging in summative assessment.”

Does formative assessment work in all content areas?

Absolutely, and it works across all grade levels. Nearly any content area — language arts, math, science, humanities, and even the arts or physical education — can utilize formative assessment in a positive way.

How can formative assessment support the curriculum?

Formative assessment supports curricula by providing real-time feedback on students’ knowledge levels and comprehension of the subject at hand. When teachers regularly utilize formative assessment tools, they can find gaps in student learning and customize lessons to fill those gaps. After term is over, teachers can use this feedback to reshape their curricula.

How can formative assessment be used to establish instructional priorities?

Because formative assessment supports curriculum development and updates, it thereby influences instructional priorities. Through student feedback and formative assessment, teachers are able to gather data about which instructional methods are most (and least) successful. This “data-driven” instruction should yield more positive learning outcomes for students.

Can formative assessment close achievement gaps?

Formative assessment is ideal because it identifies gaps in student knowledge while they’re learning. This allows teachers to make adjustments to close these gaps and help students more successfully master a new skill or topic.

How can I help my students understand formative assessment?

Formative assessment should be framed as a supportive learning tool; it’s a very different tactic than summative assessment strategies. To help students understand this new evaluation style, make sure you utilize it from the first day in the classroom. Introduce a small number of strategies and use them repeatedly so students become familiar with them. Eventually, these formative assessments will become second nature to teachers and students.

Before you tackle formative assessment, or any new teaching strategy for that matter, consider taking a continuing education course. At the University of San Diego School of Professional and Continuing Education, we offer over 500 courses for educators that can be completed entirely online, and many at your own pace. So no matter what your interests are, you can surely find a course — or even a certificate — that suits your needs.

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Teaching excellence & educational innovation, what is the difference between formative and summative assessment, formative assessment.

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:

• help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
• help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes , which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:

• draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
• submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
• turn in a research proposal for early feedback

Summative assessment

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Summative assessments are often high stakes , which means that they have a high point value. Examples of summative assessments include:

• a midterm exam
• a final project
• a senior recital

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or faculty use it to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent courses.

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Created by the Great Schools Partnership , the GLOSSARY OF EDUCATION REFORM is a comprehensive online resource that describes widely used school-improvement terms, concepts, and strategies for journalists, parents, and community members. | Learn more »

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support .

The general goal of formative assessment is to collect detailed information that can be used to improve instruction and student learning while it’s happening . What makes an assessment “formative” is not the design of a test, technique, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used—i.e., to inform in-process teaching and learning modifications.

Formative assessments are commonly contrasted with summative assessments , which are used to evaluate student learning progress and achievement at the conclusion of a specific instructional period—usually at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. In other words, formative assessments are for learning, while summative assessments are of learning. Or as assessment expert Paul Black put it, “When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that’s summative assessment.” It should be noted, however, that the distinction between formative and summative is often fuzzy in practice, and educators may hold divergent interpretations of and opinions on the subject.

Many educators and experts believe that formative assessment is an integral part of effective teaching. In contrast with most summative assessments, which are deliberately set apart from instruction, formative assessments are integrated into the teaching and learning process. For example, a formative-assessment technique could be as simple as a teacher asking students to raise their hands if they feel they have understood a newly introduced concept, or it could be as sophisticated as having students complete a self-assessment of their own writing (typically using a rubric outlining the criteria) that the teacher then reviews and comments on. While formative assessments help teachers identify learning needs and problems, in many cases the assessments also help students develop a stronger understanding of their own academic strengths and weaknesses. When students know what they do well and what they need to work harder on, it can help them take greater responsibility over their own learning and academic progress.

While the same assessment technique or process could, in theory, be used for either formative or summative purposes, many summative assessments are unsuitable for formative purposes because they do not provide useful feedback. For example, standardized-test scores may not be available to teachers for months after their students take the test (so the results cannot be used to modify lessons or teaching and better prepare students), or the assessments may not be specific or fine-grained enough to give teachers and students the detailed information they need to improve.

The following are a few representative examples of formative assessments:

• Questions that teachers pose to individual students and groups of students during the learning process to determine what specific concepts or skills they may be having trouble with. A wide variety of intentional questioning strategies may be employed, such as phrasing questions in specific ways to elicit more useful responses.
• Specific, detailed, and constructive feedback that teachers provide on student work , such as journal entries, essays, worksheets, research papers, projects, ungraded quizzes, lab results, or works of art, design, and performance. The feedback may be used to revise or improve a work product, for example.
• “Exit slips” or “exit tickets” that quickly collect student responses to a teacher’s questions at the end of a lesson or class period. Based on what the responses indicate, the teacher can then modify the next lesson to address concepts that students have failed to comprehend or skills they may be struggling with. “Admit slips” are a similar strategy used at the beginning of a class or lesson to determine what students have retained from previous learning experiences .
• Self-assessments that ask students to think about their own learning process, to reflect on what they do well or struggle with, and to articulate what they have learned or still need to learn to meet course expectations or learning standards.
• Peer assessments that allow students to use one another as learning resources. For example, “workshopping” a piece of writing with classmates is one common form of peer assessment, particularly if students follow a rubric or guidelines provided by a teacher.

In addition to the reasons addressed above, educators may also use formative assessment to:

• Refocus students on the learning process and its intrinsic value, rather than on grades or extrinsic rewards.
• Encourage students to build on their strengths rather than fixate or dwell on their deficits. (For a related discussion, see growth mindset .)
• Help students become more aware of their learning needs, strengths, and interests so they can take greater responsibility over their own educational growth. For example, students may learn how to self-assess their own progress and self-regulate their behaviors.
• Give students more detailed, precise, and useful information. Because grades and test scores only provide a general impression of academic achievement, usually at the completion of an instructional period, formative feedback can help to clarify and calibrate learning expectations for both students and parents. Students gain a clearer understanding of what is expected of them, and parents have more detailed information they can use to more effectively support their child’s education.
• Raise or accelerate the educational achievement of all students, while also reducing learning gaps and achievement gaps .

While the formative-assessment concept has only existed since the 1960s, educators have arguably been using “formative assessments” in various forms since the invention of teaching. As an intentional school-improvement strategy, however, formative assessment has received growing attention from educators and researchers in recent decades. In fact, it is now widely considered to be one of the more effective instructional strategies used by teachers, and there is a growing body of literature and academic research on the topic.

Schools are now more likely to encourage or require teachers to use formative-assessment strategies in the classroom, and there are a growing number of professional-development opportunities available to educators on the subject. Formative assessments are also integral components of personalized learning and other educational strategies designed to tailor lessons and instruction to the distinct learning needs and interests of individual students.

While there is relatively little disagreement in the education community about the utility of formative assessment, debates or disagreements may stem from differing interpretations of the term. For example, some educators believe the term is loosely applied to forms of assessment that are not “truly” formative, while others believe that formative assessment is rarely used appropriately or effectively in the classroom.

Another common debate is whether formative assessments can or should be graded. Many educators contend that formative assessments can only be considered truly formative when they are ungraded and used exclusively to improve student learning. If grades are assigned to a quiz, test, project, or other work product, the reasoning goes, they become de facto summative assessments—i.e., the act of assigning a grade turns the assessment into a performance evaluation that is documented in a student’s academic record, as opposed to a diagnostic strategy used to improve student understanding and preparation before they are given a graded test or assignment.

Some educators also make a distinction between “pure” formative assessments—those that are used on a daily basis by teachers while they are instructing students—and “interim” or “benchmark” assessments, which are typically periodic or quarterly assessments used to determine where students are in their learning progress or whether they are on track to meeting expected learning standards. While some educators may argue that any assessment method that is used diagnostically could be considered formative, including interim assessments, others contend that these two forms of assessment should remain distinct, given that different strategies, techniques, and professional development may be required.

Some proponents of formative assessment also suspect that testing companies mislabel and market some interim standardized tests as “formative” to capitalize on and profit from the popularity of the idea. Some observers express skepticism that commercial or prepackaged products can be authentically formative, arguing that formative assessment is a sophisticated instructional technique, and to do it well requires both a first-hand understanding of the students being assessed and sufficient training and professional development.

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Sarah Schaible

November 23rd, 2021, how to approach formative essays at lse.

0 comments | 3 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

As teachers will tell you, formative essays are the best opportunity to get feedback on your work. This is particularly important if you are studying a qualitative subject. Quantitative courses have more frequent homework assessments, but for any other modules, you only get the opportunity to submit your own work once or twice a term.

Having made the general importance of formatives clear, here are my pieces of advice:

1. Start early

By this, I don’t mean to start writing weeks before the deadline. However, I have found that it pays off to think about the topic early, perhaps once you receive the assignment prompt. This allows you to think about the topic in classes in the back of your head and might give you good ideas later on. Besides, this also means you will be able to clarify any questions.

2. Be strategic

Continuing about topic selection, it is worth thinking about the summative assignment when choosing your topic. This matters especially when your graded assignment is based on coursework, meaning you will submit an extended essay. Often, you will be able to draw and expand on the research you already did during the term. In my Master’s for instance, I submitted outlines and topic proposals for summative essays.

Being strategic also matters when the final assessment takes place in form of a timed exam. Most exams will require you to be strategic and choose topics to specialise in. Therefore, if you find something interesting during the term, you will be able to save yourself a lot of time later if you’ve already written an essay on it.

3. Plan ahead

To avoid stress just before the deadline of the formative, make sure to make a rough plan of when you are going to write your essay. I tend to do readings and then choose a day to sit down and write the essay. This doubles as practice for exams.

4. Prioritise

It often gets to week six or seven of the term and suddenly you have to fit in several assignments with your usual weekly tasks. This is undeniably stressful. To avoid burning out, it is worth considering whether you want to prioritise some tasks over others. Not everything needs to get done at once. It’s okay to do one thing at a time and plan on catching up on other tasks later in the term.

5. Implement feedback

The last step is key in making the most of your assignment. Look at the feedback that is given to you and try to take steps to implement it for future essays. You could, for example, go back to your notes and make changes. If you still have open questions, go to office hours or email your professors. This has often helped me to get an even better understanding.

These strategies have helped me to manage the increased workload in the middle of term. The most important thing to keep in mind: assignment season is temporary. Once your essays are submitted, there will be time to catch up on readings and enjoy more free time again. While making a start on an essay is always daunting, in my experience, completing it is very rewarding.

About the author

Hi, I'm Sarah! I am an LSE BA Anthropology and Law graduate and a current LLM student.

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Why Formative Assessments Matter

Summative assessments, or high stakes tests and projects, are what the eagle eye of our profession is fixated on right now, so teachers often find themselves in the tough position of racing, racing, racing through curriculum.

But what about informal or formative assessments? Are we putting enough effort into these?

What Are They?

Informal, or formative assessments are about checking for understanding in an effective way in order to guide instruction. They are used during instruction rather than at the end of a unit or course of study. And if we use them correctly, and often, yes, there is a chance instruction will slow when we discover we need to re-teach or review material the students wholly "did not get" -- and that's okay. Because sometimes we have to slow down in order to go quickly.

What this means is that if we are about getting to the end, we may lose our audience, the students. If you are not routinely checking for understanding then you are not in touch with your students' learning. Perhaps they are already far, far behind.

We are all guilty of this one -- the ultimate teacher copout: "Are there any questions, students?" Pause for three seconds. Silence. "No? Okay, let's move on."

Ever assign the big project, test, or report at the end of a unit and find yourself shocked with the results, and not in a good way? I have. The reason for the crummy results is not the students, but a lack of formative assessments along the way and discovering when, where, and how certain information needed to be re-taught or reviewed.

To Inform, Not Punish

If you find yourself wanting to spring a "gotcha" quiz on your students, ask yourself if it is really meant to collect important data or to freak them out and maybe "get them more serious about paying attention"?

Believe me, I've been there: wanting to punish the lazy, the cocky, the nonchalant. Sometimes we just want to see that hint of panic as they number 1 to 10 on their half sheets of paper (afterall, many of us experienced the "gotcha" quiz as students!)

If you feel tempted to do this, just say no; it's a mistake.

When and How?

Formative assessments are not about gotcha-ing students but about guiding where instruction needs to go next. We should use them frequently, and while or after kids learn a new idea, concept, or process.

When you are on your way to the Big End Project (or summative assessment) and students have just learned a piece or a step toward the end, check to see if they've got it.

And to avoid using the tired old quiz, here's a few ways you can check for understanding:

These can be fun and not daunting, for students or teacher. Give students a question to answer that targets the big idea of the lesson, and have them write a sentence or two. Stand by the door and collect them as they leave. Sit at your desk and thumb through them all, making three stacks: they get it, kind of get it, and don't get it all. The size of the stacks will tell you what to do next.

Student Checklist

Give your students a checklist and have them self-assess. Collect the checklists with each, or every other, new idea during a unit of study. Make sure they write a sentence or two explaining how they know they've got it, or why they think they are still struggling.

The Three-Minute Paper

This is more involved than the exit slip and often times, I'd give the kids more than three minutes. I don't use the word "essay" or they get too nervous. I might say, "Take out a piece of paper, and tell me what you have learned so far about ____________." Often they will basically write an essay (something they usually labor over in drafts and on their own!) I assess these the same way as the exit slip, by making the three stacks.

One-Sentence Summary

Ask students to write a summary sentence that answers the "who, what where, when, why, how" questions about the topic.

Misconception Check

Provide students with common or predictable misconceptions about a specific principle, process, or concept. Ask them whether they agree or disagree and explain why. Also, to save time, you can present a misconception check in the form of multiple-choice or true/false.

Watch, Look, Listen

Simply observing the actions, behaviors, and words of students can provide a wealth of valuable data and serve as a formative assessment. You can take notes as they conference with one another, pair and share, or engage in collaborative learning groups (lab projects, literature circles, etc.).

What to look for? If there are small group conversations happening, and they are successfully applying the new learning, not just one student is talking; they are talking over each other, and they are animated with body, hands and eyes. On the other hand, if it is quiet during this talk time, and they are watching you watch them, they are most likely lost.

Your note taking can be as easy as making a check-plus mark after each child's name who shares something of value and on-target/topic with their group. (Put a check by each child you hear share so you can see how many you heard versus how many get it.) If I have 17 names with checks after them, but only four check-plus marks, it's time to review or re-teach.

How do you check for understanding with your students? What are some formative assessments that you find fun, engaging, and effective? Please share with us your thoughts, ideas and expertise!

75 Formative Assessment Examples

• Video Overview
• Key Characteristics

Formative assessment is a type of assessment that takes place in the middle of a unit of work. It is usually compared to summative assessment which takes place at the end of the learning experience.

The key characteristic of formative assessment is that learning will take place before and after the assessment. The assessment is designed to help students:

• Stay on track
• Pivot if they are off track
• Deepen their knowledge based on an assessment of what they currently know
• Receive feedback on their progress

Similarly, it helps teachers:

• Change their teaching strategies based on student needs
• Assess students’ current knowledge to inform future instruction
• Reflect on their own teaching practice for continual improvement
• A) To give a final grade at the end of the course
• B) To help students understand what they need to improve
• C) To pass or fail students based on their knowledge
• D) To memorize information for tests
• A) It allows teachers to give less homework
• B) It provides insights into students’ understanding to tailor future lessons
• C) It reduces the need for teaching different topics
• D) It enables teachers to focus only on high-performing students

Formative Assessment Examples

1. 1-Minute Check In – Check in with every student in the class for one minute throughout the day to see how they are feeling about their tasks. Use the class roll to keep track.

2. 1-Minute Paper – Students get one minute to write a rapid-fire paper on the topic to try to show their depth of knowledge as fast as possible.

3. 3 Things – Students are asked to quickly list 3 things they want to know more about in regards to their topic, or 3 things they don’t currently understand.

4. 3-2-1 Reflection (aka Exit Slip) – Have students write down 3 big ideas from what they learned, 2 insights (reflective comments), and 1 question they still have.

5. 3x Summarization – Have students summarize the topic in three ways: in 10-15 words, 30-50 words, and 75-100 words. As they step up in word count, they will need to add some more depth and detail to demonstrate deeper knowledge.

6. 5 W’s and H – The 5W’s and H method gets students to write down their knowledge of what, when, where, who, why, and how to demonstrate their depth of knowledge about a topic.

7. Anonymous Feedback Box – Have students place anonymous comments about what they’re struggling with into a feedback box. This will allow students to share their concerns with the safety of anonymity. It helps gather crowd-sourced formative assessment but isn’t good for individual formative feedback.

8. Brainstorming – Have the students come together in groups and write down the key question in the middle of a piece of paper. Then, have them brainstorm ways to answer the question around the central question.

9. Check for Transfer – Have the students transfer the current concept from class to a new context. For example, if students are learning a math problem, check if they can apply it in a supermarket context.

10. Cold Calling – Let students know that you will not ask them to put their hands up to answer questions. Instead, you will call on one student randomly and all students by the end of class. This keeps everyone engaged and allows you to do spot checks of knowledge.

11. Comments on Drafts – Have students submit drafts of their essays to provide formative comments at least two weeks before submission.

12. Compare and Contrast – Have students compare two components of what is being learned to help them demonstrate their current knowledge. For example, in a biology class, you could have the students compare reptiles to mammals based on several key criteria.

13. Concept Map – Have students complete a concept map demonstrating their understanding of how concepts connect to one another in visual form.

14. Corner Quiz – Place letters A, B, C, and D on four separate corners of the room. Students are given a multiple choice quiz on what they are learning. Students have to run to the corner that they think has the right answer, e.g. if the answer is D, they run to the corner with the D on it. The teacher can look to see which students are consistently getting the wrong answer (or following others!).

15. Doodle It (Visualization) – Have students draw a representation of what they have learned in a visual format. This is a great formative assessment task for visual learners .

16. Elevator Pitch – Students give a 2-minute ‘elevator pitch’ speech about how much they know about the topic. In two minutes or less, they need to show you the depth of their knowledge.

17. Extension Project – Give students an extension project to see how well they apply the information in a new and less structured context. An example might be getting them to make a diagram about the topic.

18. Five Whys – Have students to ask ‘why’ five times to see if they can get to the root of their knowledge and understanding on a topic. This helps you understand how deeply they know the topic. For example, if the student says “Shakespeare is the best writer in history” ask why, then they say “because his poetry tells the best stories”, then ask why several more times, until they have fleshed out their knowledge to the best of their ability.

19. Flashcards – Have students answer flashcard questions mid-way through the unit of work to check for understanding.

20. Flip Chart Check In – Students get into groups and write anything and everything they know about the topic onto a flip chart. They then present their flip chart to the rest of the class.

21. Formative Presentation – Have the students give a presentation on what they have learned so far. This can be great for a mid-term check-in so you can help students stay on track and go deeper for their end-of-term assessment on the same topic.

22. Hand in, pass out – Students are assessed on a pop quiz. They do not write their own name on the paper. They then hand in their answers and the teacher passes out the answer sheets randomly to the class. The class then grades the anonymous work they are given. The students are given a chance to grade others’ work. The teacher can take the answer in afterward to see the questions that were most commonly incorrect to see what to focus on.

23. Homework Task – Homework is perhaps the most extensively used example of formative assessment. When you grade your students’ homework you can get a good idea of their level of understanding of content explored in class.

24. Hot Seat – A student sits in a seat in front of their peers and gets rapid-fire questions from their peers to test their quick responses. Great for math quizzes.

25. Hot Topics – Students choose one aspect of what they are learning and present in front of the class for 5 minutes about their knowledge, then take 5 minutes of questions.

26. Identify the Misconception – Give students a common misconception about their topic and ask them to explain what the misconception is and how to improve upon it.

27. Intentional Mistake – Intentionally embed an error into the students’ work or instructions and see whether they can identify it part-way through the lesson.

28. KWL Chart – A KWL chart asks students to write down what they know, what they want to know, and what they learned in the lesson. Have students complete this chart at the end of a lesson as a quick formative assessment that can help you structure your follow-up lessons based on student feedback.

29. Lunch Pass – Ask every student a question. If they can get their question right, they can go to lunch.

30. Metacognition – Have the students reflect on what they did, what they learned, why they learned it, how they can apply it, and what they still are unsure about it.

31. More Knowledgeable Other – Have students sit beside a student who is one step ahead of them and learn from the more knowledgeable student. The more knowledgeable student gives them feedback and assesses their progress, giving formative corrections to help them progress. Often, students who are at a similar level to one another are better at explaining concepts than teachers.

32. Open-Ended Questioning – Ask students questions that cannot be answered with a Yes/No answer so you can gather their depth of knowledge in the answer.

33. Paraphrasing – Give students a piece of information then ask them to repeat the information back to you in their own words to see if they understand it.

34. Peer Assessment – Have students grade each other’s work. This allows students to see other students’ work to gather whether they’re on track and how to improve.

35. Photo Assessment – Have students take photos of things they think best represent their current level of knowledge. Students might take photos of their current projects. Then, have them write descriptions underneath that explain what they currently know about the topic.

36. Pop Quiz – Give the students a quiz at the beginning, middle, or end of a lesson that involves just 5 to 10 questions that can allow you to see how much they know.

37. Postcard – The students write a postcard or letter from one historical figure to another describing something. For example, psychology students might write a letter from Bronfenbrenner to his wife explaining his Ecological Systems Theory .

38. Prediction and Hypothesis – Halfway through the lesson, have students make a prediction or hypothesis about what will happen by the end of the lesson. This will help the teacher know if the students are starting to understand what is being taught.

39. Prior Knowledge Onboarding Task – Have students write down what they already know about a topic before the first lesson. This will help you know what level you need to start your teaching at and help prevent redundancy in re-teaching things students already know.

40. RSQC2 – RSQC2 stands for Recall, Summarize, Question, Connect, Comment. Students start with recall which involves listing words or phrases that they recall from class. They then summarize the words by putting them all into a sentence that explains the topic. For Question, they list any questions they have that are unanswered. For connect, students write about connections between the lesson and the overall goals of the unit of work. For Comment, students provide a feedback comment to the teacher evaluating their teaching. 

41. Run an Opinion Poll – Poll the students on their opinion of the topic and examine the responses. The teacher can gauge students’ knowledge based on their answers in the poll.

42. Running Records – Have students take notes throughout the class on questions they have and things they don’t understand. As you come around to check on the student, ask them to show their running records notecard.

43. Spaced Repetition Testing – Students are given pop quizzes at strategically placed intervals to help students remember information they may be forgetting. For example, you might give students a quiz after 1 day, then 3, then 8, then 15. The answers from the quiz can help you assess student retention of knowledge learned in class.

44. Sticky Notes – Have students leave a sticky note on their desk with a comment about what they would like to know more about.

45. Student Becomes Teacher – Have the student teach the concept they are learning to a small group of peers.

46. Students Create a Test – Have each student create a 20-question test that they would use to test someone on the topic. Students write the answers to the test on a separate paper. Then, have the students swap mock-up tests with each other and fill out the answers.

47. Submit a Research Proposal – Have students submit a mock (or real!) research proposal stating what they would want to research further into the topic they have been discussing ( use my research proposal examples ). Get them to discuss what they would research, why they are curious about that aspect, and how they would go about it. This can reveal a great deal of new information about the student’s current level of knowledge.

48. Submit an Essay Plan – For students writing an essay, get them to submit their essay plan for approval. Using this method, you can catch if a student is off track and correct the course so they submit a high-quality essay.

49. TAG Feedback – Have students assess one another by getting them to tell a peer what they did well, ask them a question about their knowledge, then give feedback to their peer.

50. Text Rendering – Students take one quote that they think is the most important or illuminating from an article and explain why they think it’s the best quote.

51. Think-Pair-Share – Students spend one minute individually writing down key points from what they learned. They then pair up with a partner and compare notes. Finally, the pair share what they learned with the class. The class can ask questions and the teacher can assess the pair’s knowledge from their presentation and responses.

52. Timeline (Historical) – Students create a historical timeline demonstrating their knowledge of the sequence of events from a historical process or series of events.

53. Timeline (Lesson Reflection) – A lesson reflection timeline gets students to reflect on their lesson by writing down 

54. Ungraded Essay – Have students submit an essay or essay draft that is not graded. Students submit the essay only for feedback, which will inform their final submission.

55. Venn Diagram – Students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast two elements of what they are learning. The outer sides of the Venn diagram show unique features of each element. The overlap shows the similarities.

Instant Formative Assessment for Teachers

56. Fingers Up – Have students show their level of knowledge by showing a certain number of fingers. One finger means uncertainty and discomfort while five fingers means strong confidence with the content.

57. Hand Thermometer – Students put their hand up only a distance they think they are comfortable with the knowledge. A low hand up shows mild comfort, a medium shows moderate understanding, and a stretched hand shows high confidence in the content.

58. Quick Nod – Ask students to nod if they understand. This can be great as a very fast way to check for comprehension in the middle of a task.

59. Red / Green Cards – Provide students with red and green cards. They can hold up the green card if they are ready to move on to the next part of the lesson or the red card if they’re still confused.

60. Thumbs Up, Middle, Thumbs Down – Have students quickly respond with their thumbs to show levels of understanding or enthusiasm.

61. Traffic Lights – An extension of red/green cards, the traffic lights system also have an amber color for students who are feeling tentative about their progress. For this one, you can pair students who held up green lights with those who held up amber lights to teach each other while the teacher works with students who held up red lights.

62. Two Roses and a Thorn – Have students present two things they are happy or knowledgeable about, and one thing they are still finding “prickly”.

63. Watch Body Language – Students who misunderstand may be crossing their legs, looking away, or frowning.

Self-Evaluative Formative Assessment

64. Self-Evaluation on Marking Rubric – Provide students the criteria you will be using to grade their work (also known as a marking rubric) and get them to self-assess what grade they think they will get.

65. Self-Sort – Have students choose which level they are at in a task: beginner, intermediate, or advanced, and have them select the next piece of work based on their self-evaluated level.

66. SMART Goals Self-Evaluation – Have the students complete a personal SMART Goal template demonstrating what their goals are and whether they think they are on track for achieving it.

67. SWOT Analysis – Have students complete a SWOT analysis that demonstrates what their strengths are in relation to what they are learning, what their weaknesses are, opportunities for improvement for the rest of the unit of work, and threats that they could avoid. This will make sure they stay on track.

Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment

68. Blog About It – Have students write weekly 200-word blog posts about what they learned and comment on each student’s blog comment assessing what they did well and what they need to focus on in the next week.

69. Clickers – Use clickers (instant Yes/No responses – technology required) to provide instant feedback to the teacher on their level of understanding.

70. Forum Comments – Have students submit one forum comment per week to their online discussion board for the teacher to provide a formative assessment and comment on what they did well and how to improve.

71. Padlet – Have students use the Padlet app to contribute their ideas to a virtual notice board to show their thoughts and knowledge to the group.

72. Text the Answer – Have students text an answer to you in 50 words or less once they have completed the task.

73. Twitter Comment – Have students tweet what they learned in class today and tweet a reply to a friend’s comment.

74. Write 1 if you Understand, 2 if you Don’t – This is a task for online lessons. Have students simply write a 1 or 2 in the chatbox. This can also get quiet groups to start contributing in a small no-risk step.

75. YouTube Communities Poll – Have students complete a YouTube poll using the YouTube communities tab.

Related Articles:

• Constructive Feedback Examples
• Achievement test examples

Formative assessment are usually informal evaluations that give students an opportunity to pivot and improve based on the teacher’s feedback. A the same time, it’s valuable for the teacher who needs to assess students’ current knowledge and pain points in order to adjust their teaching practices and maximize students’ chances of passing the summative assessment that will occur at the end of the unit of work.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ What is Educational Psychology?
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ What is IQ? (Intelligence Quotient)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples

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Formative and summative assessments.

Assessment allows both instructor and student to monitor progress towards achieving learning objectives, and can be approached in a variety of ways. Formative assessment refers to tools that identify misconceptions, struggles, and learning gaps along the way and assess how to close those gaps. It includes effective tools for helping to shape learning, and can even bolster students’ abilities to take ownership of their learning when they understand that the goal is to improve learning, not apply final marks (Trumbull and Lash, 2013). It can include students assessing themselves, peers, or even the instructor, through writing, quizzes, conversation, and more. In short, formative assessment occurs throughout a class or course, and seeks to improve student achievement of learning objectives through approaches that can support specific student needs (Theal and Franklin, 2010, p. 151). 

In contrast, summative assessments evaluate student learning, knowledge, proficiency, or success at the conclusion of an instructional period, like a unit, course, or program. Summative assessments are almost always formally graded and often heavily weighted (though they do not need to be). Summative assessment can be used to great effect in conjunction and alignment with formative assessment, and instructors can consider a variety of ways to combine these approaches. 

Examples of Formative and Summative Assessments

Both forms of assessment can vary across several dimensions (Trumbull and Lash, 2013): 

• Informal / formal
• Immediate / delayed feedback
• Embedded in lesson plan / stand-alone
• Spontaneous / planned
• Individual / group
• Verbal / nonverbal
• Oral / written
• Graded / ungraded
• Open-ended response / closed/constrained response
• Teacher initiated/controlled / student initiated/controlled
• Teacher and student(s) / peers
• Process-oriented / product-oriented
• Brief / extended
• Scaffolded (teacher supported) / independently performed 

Recommendations

Formative Assessment   Ideally, formative assessment strategies improve teaching and learning simultaneously. Instructors can help students grow as learners by actively encouraging them to self-assess their own skills and knowledge retention, and by giving clear instructions and feedback. Seven principles (adapted from Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2007 with additions) can guide instructor strategies:

• Keep clear criteria for what defines good performance - Instructors can explain criteria for A-F graded papers, and encourage student discussion and reflection about these criteria (this can be accomplished though office hours, rubrics, post-grade peer review, or exam / assignment wrappers ). Instructors may also hold class-wide conversations on performance criteria at strategic moments throughout a term.
• Encourage students’ self-reflection - Instructors can ask students to utilize course criteria to evaluate their own or a peer’s work, and to share what kinds of feedback they find most valuable. In addition, instructors can ask students to describe the qualities of their best work, either through writing or group discussion.
• Give students detailed, actionable feedback - Instructors can consistently provide specific feedback tied to predefined criteria, with opportunities to revise or apply feedback before final submission. Feedback may be corrective and forward-looking, rather than just evaluative. Examples include comments on multiple paper drafts, criterion discussions during 1-on-1 conferences, and regular online quizzes.
• Encourage teacher and peer dialogue around learning - Instructors can invite students to discuss the formative learning process together. This practice primarily revolves around mid-semester feedback and small group feedback sessions , where students reflect on the course and instructors respond to student concerns. Students can also identify examples of feedback comments they found useful and explain how they helped. A particularly useful strategy, instructors can invite students to discuss learning goals and assignment criteria, and weave student hopes into the syllabus.
• Promote positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem - Students will be more motivated and engaged when they are assured that an instructor cares for their development. Instructors can allow for rewrites/resubmissions to signal that an assignment is designed to promote development of learning. These rewrites might utilize low-stakes assessments, or even automated online testing that is anonymous, and (if appropriate) allows for unlimited resubmissions.
• Provide opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance - Related to the above, instructors can improve student motivation and engagement by making visible any opportunities to close gaps between current and desired performance. Examples include opportunities for resubmission, specific action points for writing or task-based assignments, and sharing study or process strategies that an instructor would use in order to succeed.  
• Collect information which can be used to help shape teaching - Instructors can feel free to collect useful information from students in order to provide targeted feedback and instruction. Students can identify where they are having difficulties, either on an assignment or test, or in written submissions. This approach also promotes metacognition , as students are asked to think about their own learning. Poorvu Center staff can also perform a classroom observation or conduct a small group feedback session that can provide instructors with potential student struggles. 

Instructors can find a variety of other formative assessment techniques through Angelo and Cross (1993), Classroom Assessment Techniques (list of techniques available here ).

Summative Assessment   Because summative assessments are usually higher-stakes than formative assessments, it is especially important to ensure that the assessment aligns with the goals and expected outcomes of the instruction.  

• Use a Rubric or Table of Specifications - Instructors can use a rubric to lay out expected performance criteria for a range of grades. Rubrics will describe what an ideal assignment looks like, and “summarize” expected performance at the beginning of term, providing students with a trajectory and sense of completion. 
• Design Clear, Effective Questions - If designing essay questions, instructors can ensure that questions meet criteria while allowing students freedom to express their knowledge creatively and in ways that honor how they digested, constructed, or mastered meaning. Instructors can read about ways to design effective multiple choice questions .
• Assess Comprehensiveness - Effective summative assessments provide an opportunity for students to consider the totality of a course’s content, making broad connections, demonstrating synthesized skills, and exploring deeper concepts that drive or found a course’s ideas and content. 
• Make Parameters Clear - When approaching a final assessment, instructors can ensure that parameters are well defined (length of assessment, depth of response, time and date, grading standards); knowledge assessed relates clearly to content covered in course; and students with disabilities are provided required space and support.
• Consider Blind Grading - Instructors may wish to know whose work they grade, in order to provide feedback that speaks to a student’s term-long trajectory. If instructors wish to provide truly unbiased summative assessment, they can also consider a variety of blind grading techniques .

Considerations for Online Assessments

Effectively implementing assessments in an online teaching environment can be particularly challenging. The Poorvu Center shares these  recommendations .

Nicol, D.J. and Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006) Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education 31(2): 2-19.

Theall, M. and Franklin J.L. (2010). Assessing Teaching Practices and Effectiveness for Formative Purposes. In: A Guide to Faculty Development. KJ Gillespie and DL Robertson (Eds). Jossey Bass: San Francisco, CA.

Trumbull, E., & Lash, A. (2013). Understanding formative assessment: Insights from learning theory and measurement theory. San Francisco: WestEd.

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Feedback and Assessment

This section introduces you to:

• Formative and summative assessment
• What makes feedback effective
• Evaluating students and writing reports

The student assessment context at LSE

Students at LSE are expected to do two types of assessment during their studies. Class work or course work is submitted to the class teacher for formative assessment , to help the students develop their skills and understanding. This work may well be graded, to give students a feel for how they are progressing. But much more important will be the feedback you provide, which should help them to improve and develop – this is often termed “feed-forward” as it is future-focussed.  In addition, students are required to produce assessed essays and projects and to take unseen written examinations for summative assessment , designed to evaluate their current level of academic achievement.

Formative course work

Normally, GTAs will only be involved in marking formative assignments, designed to help the students progress in their studies and to provide opportunities for individual feedback.

Below are examples of formative coursework required by two different departments.

Class teachers should keep an accurate record of student grades and performance and include a summary of this information in their class reports.

The Code of Good Practice for Undergraduate Programmes  indicates (paragraphs 3.7 and 4.4) that permission to sit exams may be denied to students who regularly miss class and/or do not provide required course work. You may wish to point this out to students. However, before taking students to task, do check whether there are good reasons for their apparently poor work record (eg. disability-related reasons such as hospital appointments, or particular personal and emotional difficulties). Depending on the situation, this could be done by talking directly with the student or, perhaps preferably, through their academic mentor or the lecturer in charge of the course.

Formative essays provide an opportunity to raise and check student awareness so that they comply with the highest standards of academic conduct. (For more information, see the Regulations for Assessment Offence: Plagiarism in the LSE Calendar.) Students would benefit from having this information in advance of preparing their first assignment; but it can be reiterated and reinforced through written feedback. 

Summative course work

A growing number of courses include summative assessment. This normally takes the form of essays, dissertations, projects, and more practical assignments such as conducting and reporting empirical or data analysis projects. An important point to note is that where students are working on formally assessed essays which count towards the final degree classification, you need to check with your department on the nature and extent of advice you can give the students. For example, many departments allow students to seek tutorial advice prior to getting down to writing, including advice on literature and format specifications, and possibly on the structure of an outline. However, many departments do not allow students to get feedback on draft essays that will be summatively assessed and on dissertations after the end of the Summer term. For disabled students, it is also important to be aware of the advice in the Inclusion Plan .

Assessment mechanisms

As noted above, many courses at LSE include a closed, fixed time examination. These are usually of three hours’ duration, though some are slightly longer – for instance, some courses add a further 15 minutes of “reading” time for long papers – and some are shorter, such as some half units or courses where there are essays as well as exams. Most GTAs are not involved in marking exams, but some departments do involve GTAs in marking summative exams. Where this is the case, it is important that you:

• are clearly briefed to this effect, and agree to it in your contract;
• are paid for marking (usually on a “piece” rate, rather than an hourly rate);
• are properly trained and advised on marking standards, criteria and practice.

Since 2017, there has been a school-wide push to implement assessment diversification. Simply put, it is about adopting a blend of assessment methods that is both formative and summative to achieve a significant positive impact on student learning and performance. Most departments and programmes at the LSE have adopted this approach and consequently there are fewer courses being assessed by a single exam at the end of the course, and more courses that feature an assessment mix. For instance, the LLB programme has moved from assessment exclusively by exam in 2017-18 to a more varied assessment diet in 2018-19 that comprises essays, exams, take-home assessments and portfolio work.

The LSE Assessment Toolkit offers insight into a number of assessment methods and practices to both evaluate as well as support student learning, and should be of practical use to class teachers as well course convenors. 

Quote box: “Diversified assessment is the way forward: it is less stressful, more rewarding, and leaves you with a better and deeper understanding of your subject.” Bhadra Shreejith, Third-year Government and Economics student writing in The Beaver  

Marking students’ course work

Below are some tips, guidance and prompt questions to help you with the marking and feedback process. Anyone wanting more detailed guidance may wish to find and read some of the resources recommended in the Further Reading section at the bottom of the page.

Checking things out

First, there are some important preliminaries you may wish to check out if you are new to marking, or if you are new to the institution. Things to consider include:

• Learning outcomes: these are usually incorporated into course guides but you may need to check with the course convener for the course.
• Assessment regulations and requirements: see the relevant section of the Calendar , plus departmental handbook or relevant course outline.
• Assessment criteria: in most departments there is a set of agreed assessment criteria for work, but again you may need to check with the course convener for the course. The LSE Assessment Toolkit discusses marking criteria more here .
• Inclusion Plan specifications for some disabled students will mean that there is a letter of relevant advice which should be taken into account attached to the exam paper (eg. about the impact of dyslexia on spelling).  For more information on addressing neurodiversity in students, see here .
• Syllabus: see the Calendar course guides plus departmental handbooks and course outlines.
• Previous assignments/essays/exams for these students and for past students on this course. Check if there is a bank of past student work that you can check out.
• Marking/feedback sheets: some examples are offered in the Appendices , but do check to see if the course convener has their own, or if there is a departmental version. (NB: If you produce your own, the LSE Eden Centre would love to see it!)
• Likely grade distribution: it is worth checking around as to how others are grading, how last year’s students did on essays, exams, etc..
• How grades will be used: for example, General Course students will obtain an exam mark and a coursework mark from classes based upon their marked coursework, presentations and their participation in class. Both marks go forward to their course transcript.
• The preferred grading convention for the course. Both percentages and letter grades are used at the School. From the student perspective, an important part of understanding grading conventions is to know how these might relate to grades in exams or other formal assessment. Students also prefer it when faced with one (rather than multiple) set of grading conventions.

Getting down to marking

Marking often creates considerable anxiety amongst new GTAs, and many find it helpful to talk to colleagues, especially when starting out. Several departments now offer practice marking sessions to new GTAs, or do some moderation of class work grading to ensure that class teachers are marking to a similar standard. The course convener for your course may also ask or offer to look at a sample and check on your grading and feedback to students.

If you are concerned about a piece of work (eg. worries over plagiarism ), or realise, for example, that there is a problem with either the framing of the model answer or a problem set question, do seek advice from the course convener for the course.

You may wish to keep your own records on each student. Several class teachers now use feedback templates or cover sheets , and fill them out electronically. This enables them to keep their own copies, which can be helpful in building up feedback to students over time.

Marking for the first time – some pointers

When you are faced with your first set of marking, make sure you give yourself time and space to mark. It requires good concentration even at the best of times, and especially the first few times. Here are some tips:

• Sort work into sets – similar/same topic; similar approaches

• Take the first five scripts, read them quickly, do not attempt to grade them but try to get a feel for the standard and range of approaches

• Mark using marking scheme/student feedback sheets. Take breaks and monitor yourself to make sure you are applying the same standards to each piece of work fairly

• Ask yourself about any biases or preconceptions you might have. If possible, it is best to mark “anonymously”, but this is not a requirement for class work. You may recognise student handwriting or points of view, so you need to be vigilant, and be prepared to reassess a piece of work before returning it to a student

• Record the grades on the online class register

Giving feedback

Feedback plays a vital role in student learning. The School’s Academic Code recognises this and sets out clearly what students can expect from their lecturers, teachers and programme support staff.

In particular, it states:

Feedback on formative tasks will be returned to students within 3 weeks of the submission deadline, where students submit their work on time.

Students have the opportunity to receive individual feedback on all summatively assessed tasks and exams (including resits):

• For assessments set in Michaelmas or Lent Term, feedback within 4 weeks of the date of submission/exam;
• For assessments set in the Summer Term, feedback within 4 weeks of the beginning of the following term for those whose degree programme is continuing;
• Final year graduates and undergraduates who complete dissertations within the final year of their studies, will receive feedback within 4 weeks of the beginning of the following term in which the dissertation was submitted.

The aim of any feedback is to inform the students about the strengths of their work and to identify areas for development in future work.

More specifically, for  feedback to benefit learning , students must know:

• What good performance is (goals, criteria)
• How current performance relates to good performance (compare)
• How to act to close the gap

So, in any kind of feedback format, focus on giving students feedback that will help them in the future and enable them to understand why they got the mark they did. (It is worth giving some thought as to whether the ‘future’ might mean their next course essay, exam preparation or preparing detailed ideas to come through well in a forthcoming interview for getting on to a higher degree.) One type of question students often ask is “How could I upgrade this answer from a 2:2 to a 2:1?”

Make sure that your feedback is timely. There is plenty of research evidence that indicates that the closer the feedback is to the actual doing of a piece of work, the more the student can learn from it. At the LSE feedback on formative assessment needs to be turned around in three weeks and feedback on summative assessments generally within four weeks. In the case of courses using weekly problem sets, class teachers are advised to check what the expectations are, both for students to turn work in, and for it to be marked. The ideal is weekly hand-in and turnaround of marked papers, but this is often not a formal requirement.

Consult the guidance documents on feedback produced by the LSE Eden Centre on a variety of topics such as feedback on quantitative work, collective feedback on exams, feedback on oral presentations, self-assessment and peer feedback. Some of these guidance documents are accompanied by templates and pro-formas which you could use or adapt for use in your class.

Class Teacher reports

Most courses require their class teachers to provide a report on each student’s progress at the end of Michaelmas and Lent Term. For students, these reports are an opportunity to obtain both feedback on the past term as well as guidance for either the next term or their summative assessment (for example, clear pointers as to how to improve and develop their work).

Class reports also play an important role in enabling the School to have an overview of a student’s academic progress, and can thus be available to other people in the School. Chief amongst these are Academic Mentors, but, depending on each student’s situation, there may also be several other people who will need to see them. Reports are used in three main contexts:

• Students are expected to meet with their Academic Mentors throughout their academic career at the LSE. For these meetings, it is important for Mentors to have an understanding of a student’s general level of work and to also be aware of any serious study problems a student may be facing.
• Academic Mentors and Department Tutors are often asked to provide references for students. To do this they will often rely on the insight provided by class teachers in their reports.
• The Committee on Student Progress will decide how the School responds to a student with a failing mark on a course.  To understand such results, the Committee needs clear and accurate information on a student’s attendance and general engagement with the course and its work.

Writing class reports

When writing reports for your students:

• Be clear, be consistent, and be constructive.
• Be positive, but do not ignore academic problems.
• Do not record sensitive or confidential information.

In thinking about what to write for these reports, it may help you to consider the following questions:

• How well-prepared is the student for classes?  (Eg. Do they: complete the weekly assignments/undertake core reading/contribute to class discussions?)
• How has the student progressed over the course so far: are they improving or do they face increasing problems?

Providing accurate answers to these questions can help all those who use these class reports, and not just the students.

You can visit this page for some  example class teacher reports  (staff-protected).

Class grades for General Course students

In addition to providing feedback on coursework and on general progress, you may have to provide   separate class grade for General Course students in your class.

Towards the end of the Michaelmas Term, you will receive an email from Registry with a list of General Course students in your classes. You will also be directed to guidance notes on how to formulate the class grade and how to input this via LSE for You. You will need to submit half unit Michaelmas Term grades by Week 4 of Lent Term and all remaining grades by the end of Week 2 of Summer Term. The class grade is meant to be an overall assessment of the work the General Course student has done in the class over the course of the year. There is no fixed algorithm for this but it needs to take into account their attendance, their overall level of participation, any presentations they may have given, and the problem sets and/or essays they have completed. Given the steep learning curve that General Course students go through in adjusting to LSE and the UK higher education system, you may want to weight your assessment towards the latter half of the course.

This class grade will form part of the LSE transcript the student receives at the end of their year at LSE. It is important that the class grade be a fair and accurate assessment of the student’s overall performance. It is not meant to be your prediction of how they will perform on the exam. Nor should you mark General Course students harshly as a way of incentivising them to perform well on the exam. The table below shows the standard LSE classifications, how these map on to standard percentage grades and the equivalent letter grades for use with General Course students.

The reason this is important is because the class grade, along with the grade they receive for the end of year exam, will play an important role in determining whether the General Course student receives credit for the course at their home institution. In some cases, the class grade and exam grade may be averaged and factored into the student’s GPA at their home university. If you have any queries about grading General Course students please contact the General Course administrative team.

A note on data protection

It is always worth bearing in mind that under the Data Protection Act any individual is entitled to see anything written about them including job references, reports or exam feedback. When writing feedback, references or reports, be frank but fair even when a student has been difficult to work with. Ensure that what you write is what you would be prepared to say to them face-to-face with evidence to back it up. Refer to the School’s Data Protection Policy for more information.

Further Reading

• Brown,G, Bull, J and Pendlebury, M (1997), Assessing student learning in higher education , Routledge, London, pp317, in particular Chapter 5, “Assessing Essays”. LB2367.G7 B87
• Campbell, A, and Norton, L (2007) Learning, Teaching and Assessing in Higher Education: Developing Reflective Practice , Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd, pp 176. LB2331 L43 [MB16]  

Revision Questions: What would you do if …? 

Consider the questions and make notes about how you might approach these scenarios should they arise in your class. Feel free to share your thoughts with a more experienced colleague from your department or the LSE Eden Centre.

• What will you do if a student submits an assignment late?

________________________________________________________________________

• Do oral presentations have to be submitted in advance of the class they are due?
• Should you provide feedback to students on their work individually or prepare general talking points for the whole class?
• What advice or feedback can you offer a student who appears to be unclear about academic conduct expectations on the course?

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The Potential of the Essay in Formative Assessment: Literature Review

Education. Innovation. Diversity.

This scientific research explores the potential of using essays as a formative assessment tool in the context of the competencies approach. The competencies approach emphasises the importance of focusing on learning progress and needs to promote successful learning, thus formative assessment plays a pivotal role in facilitating effective learning. The study highlights the significance of essay writing in promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning. However, students often perceive essays solely as a means of summative assessment, lacking a comprehensive understanding of the assessment criteria. To address this issue, the research emphasizes the importance of involving students in the learning process by collectively defining outcomes, establishing assessment criteria, and providing constructive feedback. Clear objectives and feedback are crucial in fostering self-regulated learning and lifelong learning. The study highlights the need for student-teacher ...

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Formative Assessment as Part of Learning Process Essay

Formative assessment is a part of the learning process that can take different forms. It has been acknowledged that this type of activity if implemented properly, tends to double the pace at which students learn (Corwin, 2017). Therefore, teachers pay considerable attention to the planning and implementation of assessments. It is critical to concentrate on the learning goals to be achieved, students’ levels and their needs (interests, physical and emotional states), the corresponding standards, materials, and the most appropriate forms to choose (Michelle Wagner, 2020). Creative arts can facilitate the assessment process making it less stressful and more engaging for children (Cooper, 2016). This paper includes a brief analysis of a formative assessment that involved a creative arts task.

Children were divided into small groups of three and were asked to replicate a character from a story they read. They had a choice of materials to be utilized to complete the task. The group included a boy and two girls, and the students chose clay to replicate the character. The teacher monitored the process but did not intervene, although she provided some guidance and assisted when it was necessary. The children were completely engaged when creating the character, and one of them emphasized the need to be as close to the text as possible, which was the instruction given by the teacher. The teacher said that the grade would depend on the details. The teacher also discussed the process of making the character, and during this discussion, the children decided on the parts each of them would make.

The result was remarkable as the students managed to replicate the character following the description. The group contained students who had an age-appropriate level of reading skills, so they did not have any difficulty with using the text. The students had one piece of paper with a text, so each student read the description for others to follow. Sometimes children looked into the text on their own, although the teacher encouraged them to read aloud for the entire group to refresh all group members’ memory. It is necessary to note that assessment is important in making students more responsible and autonomous learners (Pearson English, 2019). So, the teacher allowed students to look through the text and do the silent reading at times.

One of the challenges related to the use of creative arts in assessment, at least in this group, was related to the time limits. Students wanted to make a perfect character, so they remade some parts and spent quite a significant amount of time choosing the best piece of clay or the necessary amount. On the one hand, the children displayed their reading skills, which was the major goal of the assignment. On the other hand, they were quite focused on the creation of the character rather than concentrating on their reading (fluency and accuracy). At that, they tried to read so that their teammates could understand what was needed.

The assessment showed that one of the children had a fluency issue, while the other two were reading at an age-appropriate level (and even higher). The teacher also noted that the three children were more active when reading, which was not typical of them during more traditional forms of assessment. The teacher stated that the students in this group had sufficient knowledge but were not confident enough to be active during classes and other assessment types. As mentioned above, assessment enables the educator to understand the level of the child’s proficiency and plan the following steps to complete the existing gaps or teach new material based on the child’s knowledge (Department of Education, 2020; Teachings in Education, 2021). The teacher noted that more activities on fluency were needed for the children in the group.

This assessment provides several important lessons to learn. First, the assessment task should be interesting, engaging, and manageable, but the students should not be driven away by the task at the same time. In general, the task mentioned above is an illustration of an assessment activity performed properly. The students had to read to each other accurately and fluently enough to make everybody understand what should be done.

The children collaborated, which is also an important component of the learning process (Adam Weiss, 2020). The provision of feedback proved to be central to effective assessment. The teacher provided her feedback, pointing at the strengths of each student and the positive side of their working in the group. The teacher also highlighted the exact gaps to be filled and the strategies to use in order to fill in the existing gaps.

On balance, I will employ this experience in my teaching practice. I acknowledged the benefits of the use of creative arts when assessing students’ knowledge. I will use this type of assessment with learners who lack confidence. It turns out that these children forget about their fears when they need to complete a specific task in a small group. These students (and learners with similar characteristics) will also benefit from the activities involving drawing instead of using clay. Students who may struggle with expressing their creativity may need to have some templates (to paint and cut out).

Virtual Observation Log

Course Title:

Overall video time : 4:06:18.

Adam Weiss. (2020). Assessment in early childhood education [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Cooper, J. (2016). Integrating music, drama, and dance helps children explore and learn . Teaching Young Children, 9 (4), 16-19. Web.

Corwin. (2017). Formative assessment in practice [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Department of Education. (2020). Insights assessment a focus on early years practioners [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Michelle Wagner. (2020). Questioning and formative assessment [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Pearson English. (2019). Assessment for learning: Key classroom strategies [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Teachings in Education. (2021). Formative assessment: An effective instructional tool [Video]. YouTube. Web.

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This page contains information on formative assessment and the Formative Assessment in the Year Before School Project.

Formative assessment refers to educators’ collection of formal or informal information during children’s learning experiences to inform teaching strategies and learning experiences for improved learning outcomes.

Formative assessment is an ongoing and integral part of the assessment and planning cycle used by teachers and educators in their everyday practice under the National Quality Standard, Quality Area 1 (Standard 1.3) , and the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 .

It is important that teachers and educators understand effective formative assessment and how to implement it in their context.

Benefits of formative assessment tools

Benefits for early childhood teachers and educators.

Formative assessment tools support teachers and educators to implement the assessment and planning cycle by providing a framework to:

• understand, interpret and document a child’s learning, wellbeing and development
• inform pedagogy and practice
• support the development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs.

Formative assessment tools can be used throughout the year to complement teacher and educators’ existing practices.

Benefits for children

Formative assessment can document the different pathways that children take in their learning journeys and make their own learning and development visible to them. Rich and meaningful information can be documented that depicts children’s learning in context, having their voices heard, their beliefs understood and valued; their sense of self affirmed and knowing more about themselves.

Benefits for parents and carers

Formative assessment can support the inclusion of parents and carers in the assessment and planning cycle, providing them with opportunities to reflect on and share information with teachers and educators about their child’s learning and development.

Formative Assessment in the Year Before School Project

In 2024, the NSW Department of Education is working with eligible early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to explore the use of formative assessment tools to understand how they may be used in NSW.

The project will inform the department’s approach to the 2025 national trial of the Preschool Outcomes Measure, which is a key reform of the Preschool Reform Agreement. This includes determining a formative assessment tool that complements existing teaching and learning practices in NSW ECEC services to support all children’s learning, development and wellbeing outcomes.

To participate, approved services must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the project guidelines .

Services who are selected to be part of the project will be allocated formative assessment tools to explore in their service and will receive professional learning and up to $8,000 .

For more information on the formative assessment in the year before school project, including financial support, read the project guidelines .

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