Since our 1998 review of research on classroom assessment and learning was published, we have contributed to theorising formative assessment, but recognise that this work is incomplete. In this paper, we take up a suggestion by Perrenoud that any theory of formative assessment must be embedded within a wider theoretical field, specifically, within…

This chapter characterises the two key purposes of assessment, formative and summative, within a general model of assessment of student learning. It discusses reliability and validity issues in relation to the two purposes and considers formative and summative purposes as related and can be brought together in developing a dependable approach to…

This paper builds on the current literature base about learning progressions in science to address the question, "What is the nature of the learning progression in the content domain of the structure of matter?" We introduce a learning progression in response to that question and illustrate a methodology, the Construct Modeling (Wilson,…

This article considers lessons learnt through involvement in several assessment projects. Early experience, in university work and in school examinations, led to an opportunity to help establish a novel system of assessment for an innovative school curriculum. Different lessons were then learnt from work on a national survey of school students'…

The preceding articles in this issue describe a diverse range of projects which had in common the aim of implementing or improving the practice of formative assessment, and thereby to secure some of the benefits attributed to it. This article attempts to set up a framework within which each of the different studies may be located and…

Whilst many definitions of formative assessment have been offered, there is no clear rationale to define and delimit it within broader theories of pedagogy. This paper aims to offer such a rationale, within a framework which can also unify the diverse set of practices which have been described as formative. The analysis is used to relate formative…

This paper describes some of the findings of a project which set out to explore and develop teachers' understanding and practices in their summative assessments. The focus was on those summative assessments that are used on a regular basis within schools for guiding the progress of pupils and for internal accountability. The project combined both…

In introducing the articles in this issue, Black and McCormick are struck by two features. The first is that they comprise a rich set of resources for stimulating further thinking about tertiary education. The second, which follows from the first, is that they raise possibilities for further development of this field. They draw attention, in…

In the past decade, formative assessment has attracted a good deal of research interest in all subject areas, including second language education. It is interesting to note that there is now a lively discussion on the relationship between assessment and learning among applied linguists and language educators. In this article, the author will…

This September 2010 article is a reprint of the original October 1998 article. Few reform initiatives focus on what goes on in the "black box" of the classroom, on what really happens in the interaction between teachers and students. This article is about the inside of the black box. The authors focus on one aspect of teaching: formative…

The overall aim of this article is to analyze the relationships between the roles of assessment in pedagogy, the interactions between curriculum assessment and pedagogy, and the study of pupils' progression in learning. It is argued that well-grounded evidence of pupils' progressions in learning is crucial to the work of teachers, so that a method…

Defines a cycle of assessment and action, and a continuum from formative to summative assessments. Illustrates problems caused when one assessment must serve both formative and summative functions. Argues that separating the collection of evidence from its interpretation, or the interpretation of evidence from consequent action, helps alleviate…

Describes work on the issue of self- and peer-assessment by twelve science teachers in six schools in London and draws on the teachers' written accounts. Describes the rationale and the practices developed as well as whether or not the new classroom methods described are practicable. (Author/MM)

Describes some outcomes of a project in which teachers from six schools developed formative assessment in their science classrooms. Discusses three main areas of work: (1) questioning in classroom dialogue; (2) quality of such questions; and (3) feedback on homework. Indicates that teachers saw that the changes were transferring more of the…

Draws on a review of literature about the use of formative assessment in the classroom. Provides a brief overview of the evidence, both quantitative and qualitative, of the quality of teachers' classroom-assessment practices. Contains 23 references. (DDR)