Education Shortform
Formative Assessment
In a nutshell.
Also known as ‘assessment for learning’, formative assessment means using tests, quizzes and other activities to guide learning.
The key idea is that these forms of assessment feed forward into later learning. They inform the learning process, so that any problems or misconceptions can be corrected. It’s not just about testing.
An example of this is a teacher asking questions to their students. If a student gives the wrong answer, the teacher can correct the mistake. If they simply lectured without questioning, there would be no such opportunity.
Quizzes can provide a similar function, as can paired or group discussion.
Formative assessment is key aspect of educational policy at school level in many countries, and increasingly in higher education too, in place of assessment only happening at the end of modules (by which time it may be too late for formative feedback).
As an added bonus, the act of doing quizzes and tests can also consolidate memory — a process called retrieval practice.
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This is one of a series of shortform education articles. You can download a simplified summary of my ‘A–Z of Educational concepts’ here.
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