Formative assessments and accountability

Among educators, there's a growing appreciation for the value of "formative assessments".  (In fact, formative assessments are a key component of PDE's recently released and very ambitious Standards Aligned System. More on that later...)

To paraphrase our new superintendent, a formative assessment is like a "routine physical", while the more traditional "summative" (or, end-of-course) assessment is more akin to an "autopsy". The idea is that we find out how well students are learning while there's still time to do something about it.

While this may not seem like a radical idea to anyone who's experienced a pop quiz, what's different is that the results of these assessments are intentionally used to modify instruction, on either a whole-class or individual basis.

It's going to be essential that we understand this distinction as the standards movement gains momentum. If we accept the premise that some skills are critical for every student to have - no child left behind - than we can no longer watch some students "fail", shrug our shoulders, and tell ourselves that we've "done our job".

One of the insights I picked up on my recent visit to the Kettering Foundation (Kettering is the umbrella organization for Public Issues Forums) is that when average citizens and politicians talk about "accountability" in education, they mean different things. Citizens want teachers and students to be accountable - but not in the punitive sense. It doesn't matter whose "fault" it is, they just want results. But when politicians use the word, often they are looking for someone to blame. Hence, politicians see the value of "high-stakes" tests, while parents are horrified by them.

This leads me to a truly outstanding article from the November 10th issue of Education Week: Formative Assessments and Supportive Classroom Climates. If you read it for yourself, I can avoid quoting large sections, but here are a few key points:

1)     "Formative assessments (will be more effective) when they are administered within a supportive classroom culture. When individual students - and the class as a whole - understand the benefits of assessment, the value of those measurements is increased significantly."

2)    "Most assessments have become tools that are misapplied by being used to manage ... student behavior through the use of grades as punishment or reward. When properly applied, assessment data provides meaningful feedback to both teacher and student. Teachers ... can identify areas of strengths and weaknesses in their presentation. Students can use assessments to help them identify areas they need to review, discover methods of learning that are not effective in certain situations, and try different approaches to mastering the lesson."

3)    "Assessments (should be) interwoven throughout all lessons. Establish a climate in which assessments are not an isolated occurrence. Students should understand (that) assessment is an on-going process. Formative assessment - checking for understanding - should be an inherent, on-going practice that is planned and incorporated throughout the day and in all lessons."