Learn what is formative assessment and quick tactics for determining what your students learned while they're still studying. That can help you recognize which students require additional assistance and alter your lesson plans accordingly?

What is Formative assessment?

Formative assessment is an ongoing cycle of assessment that is used to make on-the-spot decisions about what an individual needs to learn. Unlike summative assessment, formative assessment is not used to determine a final grade.

Formative assessments, by their nature, are not precise. They are inherently subjective and require a certain degree of interpretation by the assessor.

Formative assessment is a process that helps teachers determine what individual students know about a topic and what they need to learn next. It is a crucial part of the teaching process because it helps teachers plan their lessons and reach their students in a more personalized way.

5 easy ways to perform Formative assessment in class:

1. A Board Overview

Draw a diagram of the context–where does it fit in and how does it work in the "larger picture"? This formative assessment way is beneficial for those who think abstractly or with their right brain.

Example of a student response: Without comprehending the three branches of government, it is impossible to comprehend the rules we live by and how they are established.

2. Discussion assessment

Try discussion-based evaluation approaches if you wish to go a little further into your students' knowledge of the topic. Casual conversations with students in the classroom can put them at ease as you learn about their knowledge, and you might find that five-minute interview evaluations work effectively. It would take a long time to spend five minutes with each student, but you don't have to speak with every student about every project or class.

3. Continue to Ask Questions

You'll ask one student a question, then ask another if the response appears logical or correct, using this formative assessment method. Then, ask a third student to explain why there is or isn't an agreement. This keeps all of the students interested because they must be prepared to agree or disagree with the answers and explain their reasoning.

4. Self-Assessment

You can often give your Students the power and ask them to identify their strengths and faults. You can use note cards to quickly determine which areas your children believe they need to improve.

Ask them to choose a trouble spot from three or four locations on the whiteboard where you believe the class as a whole needs improvement, and write those areas. Have your students write their answers on a sticky note and then place them under the right question so you can see the results quickly.

5. Get a Feedback

Receiving regular preferably weekly feedback from the students is a formative assessment tool. There are numerous ways to get regular feedback from students following a lesson using feedback forms. Teachers can ask some questions, or even just one, on the effectiveness of the lesson.

Make time for self-reflection, regardless of which formative assessment tools you use, to ensure that you're simply assessing the content. It's fine to put something aside and try something else if a tool is too complicated, isn't trustworthy or accessible, or takes up an excessive amount of time.