Formative Classroom Assessment: Learner Focused

You've just finished grading the last exam and the results are in. More than one-half of the class did not pass the exam! Why didn't the students have a clear understanding of the material? You taught the material the same way that you always teach and it has always worked before. What went wrong? How do you find out what could have been done differently? Classroom assessment refers to the broad area of monitoring the learning progress of students. Assessment ranges from the ninth-grade teacher who stops at a table to systematically observe students preparing an experiment to commercially produced achievement tests. In other words, assessment is the umbrella term that covers a variety of data collection methods used to evaluate educational outcomes (Chase, 1999). The purpose of formative classroom assessment is to help teachers direct and redirect their instruction to improve student learning. There are often gaps between what was taught and what has been learned. By the time the instructor notices these gaps in knowledge and understanding, it may be too late to fix the problems. Formative assessment may point to a need for adjustment to the instructional strategy, and it can help identify students who haven't grasped the idea or concept. Assessment Characteristics Angelo and Cross (1993) identify several characteristics that define classroom assessment. First, classroom assessment is learner-centered. It is designed to improve the students' learning before the summative assessment occurs either by improving teaching or improving how the student goes about learning. Improving teaching may not always be necessary to improve learning. Sometimes the adjustments must fall to the student: improving study skills or developing their metacognitive skills. Classroom assessment can provide the information necessary to guide the teacher and student in making those adjustments. Classroom assessment is teacherdirected. It respects the autonomy of teachers and depends on their experience and professional knowledge to determine what and who needs to be assessed. Classroom assessment depends on the participation of students, making it mutually beneficial to both students and teachers. When students know that teachers are interested in their success as learners, their motivation is increased. Classroom assessment is also context-specific. It is tailored to meet the needs of the teacher, the student, and the discipline being taught. It is important to choose the right classroom assessment technique to fit the situation. Most important, classroom assessment is an ongoing process. This may best be described as a classroom feedback loop. The teacher uses multiple, simple assessment techniques to evaluate student learning. The teacher in turn, uses the information to provide feedback to the students on how they can improve their learning as well as how the teacher can improve his/her teaching techniques to improve student learning. Finally, classroom assessment builds on existing good teaching practices by making it more systematic and effective. Integrating classroom assessment into the lesson plan allows for seamless curriculum integration. Assessment Techniques Formative assessment techniques allow the instructor to make immediate changes in the course to improve student learning. To determine which classroom assessment technique (CAT) is appropriate to use, the teacher must follow three steps. First, decide which CAT will provide the information needed to assess student learning. Each CAT is designed to give somewhat different feedback to the instructor. Second, implement the CAT. Third, respond to the feedback collected by making changes, if indicated, and providing feedback to the students (Huba & Freed, 2000). Following are several classroom assessment techniques that can provide feedback to the teacher about the student's learning of course materials. …