The Value of Formative Assessments from a Student Perspective

Understanding the definition as “Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary learning outcomes and support students to become self-directed learners.” (CCSSO). The following are ways students benefit from this strategy:

Improved academic learning.

Students who experience formative assessments have a better understanding of what is important in their learning. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. By creating small checks for understanding in the learning process, teachers help students to realize which points are most important to the learning goals of that day. This in turn improves progress in their own learning goals. It allows students to begin to see gaps in learning before a summative assessment takes place and is linked to a grade .

Enhanced student motivation.

By creating a culture of consistent formative assessment, a student is able to see the feedback as progress, not performance. By creating checks for understanding that are not tied to the gradebook, students now are aware of where the learning gaps are and are more likely to seek and accept timely remediation. This in turn allows the students to start learning the important concept of self regulation as a learner.

Increased student engagement.

When students begin to see how their engagement impacts their learning daily, they also hone their skills of becoming active listeners and active participators in the learning process. Teachers may begin noticing a shift to students becoming monitors of their own learning as they take responsibility of their learning goals. While it might take some actual teaching of what it means to be actively listening and participating in class, teachers and students will have a better understanding of not just where the gaps are, but also why.

Confidence.

When students consistently learn in an environment that uses formative assessments, they start to see the value of checking for understanding. Formative assessments allow students to hone in on learning without the stress of a test grade. With the oversight of a a teacher, students can begin to identity their own strengths and weaknesses in learning. Bringing to light what they don’t know before there is a grade in the gradebook, gives many students more confidence and less anxiety when facing a test.

Becoming a lifelong learner.

The process of chunk learning (breaking the learning down into smaller bites and then affirming the learning has happened), instead of waiting for a big test helps students to learn how to learn. There becomes less anxiety associated with learning and memorizing large portions of information. Many students don’t know how to study, by setting them up with a cultural of consistent formative assessment, they begin to learn the value of chunk learning.