The authors describe Literary Analysis and Writing, an integrated instructional routine, developed through a formative experiment research project, that prompts students to uncover the deeper meanings of literary texts. The routine weaves together brief preteaching of carefully selected vocabulary words, whole-class assisted reading of text, close…

While both summative and formative assessments are necessary, finding the right balance can be challenging. The author examines the pros and cons of each and their reliance on one another.

The importance of engaging students in disciplinary practices of science is widely acknowledged and well researched. What is less understood is how to assess students' development of these practices. In particular, there is a need for understanding how formative assessment and feedback practices can be integrated into classroom instruction in ways…

Set in a freshman composition course using Blackboard for all assessments, this study considered aggregate data to investigate associations among formative assessment variables with the development of college writing skills. The study population was linguistically diverse students enrolled in a metropolitan community college in the Northeast…

This paper offers a rationale for how ESD related learning at postgraduate level can be assessed. It proposes a framework for evaluating whether assessments in Master's level programmes align with the pedagogical approach of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). If assessment is to contribute to the overall learning process, then the nature…

Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) refers to the process of using data to inform educational decisions. Due to DDDM's positive effects on student achievement and the pressure for educational accountability, DDDM has become a recent focus of numerous educational policies. However, few teachers fully utilize DDDM. While, broadly, DDDM may use…

While the video discussion tool Flipgrid has increasingly become popular among educators, limited research has been conducted with Flipgrid as the subject. The research on Flipgrid has focused, to date, primarily on single-case uses. These studies have been beneficial in examining how Flipgrid is being used in isolated contexts. The goal in…

We describe a formative assessment approach called whole-class think alouds, which foster evidence-based instructional practices and promote the goal of assessment to promote learning. They allow students to collaborate and orally communicate their problem solving.

Teaching chemistry as a practice rather than as a mere collection of facts demands that teachers modify their practices, particularly their approach to formative assessment (FA). In this study, we investigated how teachers' FA practices changed as a result of their participation in a professional development program designed with a Chemical…

This article examines how much 'complex knowledge' is assessed during a university degree and the extent to which a student has the opportunity to develop this. We conceptualise complex knowledge as any type of assessment that requires students to create and evaluate knowledge, and for which they may receive formative feedback. Such activities are…

It has become necessary to monitor the change in learners' skills during the education carried out in electronic environments. In this study, pre-service teachers made a presentation in their teaching practice, and a formative assessment was given to ensure active participation of the observer pre-service teachers in the online peer assessment…

Nebraska's educators know the state's long-term competitiveness depends on continually improving student learning and outcomes for our 300,000+ K-12 students. That's why what they teach in classrooms all over the state is tied closely to content area standards--standards developed by Nebraska educators, approved by the State Board, and reviewed…

Feedback on how students progress through completing subgoals can improve students' learning and motivation in programming. Detecting subgoal completion is a challenging task, and most learning environments do so either with "expert-authored" models or with "data-driven" models. Both models have advantages that are…

As a visual arts educator in teacher education, the author is aware of the complexity of assessing art at the primary level. Most authorities recommend a formative style of assessment for art, but how can this work in practice in the primary classroom? This paper focuses on the perspectives and experiences of the child. It defines the…

The Comprehensive Assessment System (CAS) Framework presents a vision for a system of assessments for English Learners in secondary grades that brings assessment closer to the classroom and fully involves teachers in assessment development and validation. The CAS Framework is intended to signal a new and equitable direction and to provoke…