New Zealand
An introduction to formative
assessment
by Irene Anderson
The University of Auckland
Media Studies Beacon Group
22 March 2016
The University of Auckland
New Zealand
2005
What is formative assessment?
If we think of students as
plants…
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New Zealand
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Summative assessment of
the plants is the process
of simply measuring
them
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The University of Auckland
The measurements might be
interesting to compare and analyse
but in themselves they do not
affect the growth of the plants.
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Formative assessment, on the
The University of Auckland
New Zealand
other hand, is the garden
equivalent of feeding
and watering the plants
- directly affecting their growth.
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2005
Cowie and Bell, 1999
Formative assessment
is the process used by
teachers and children to
recognize and respond
to pupil learning, in
order to enhance that
learning during the
activity or task.
The University of Auckland
New Zealand
2005
Black & Wiliam (1999)
The research indicates that
improving learning through
assessment depends on 5
deceptively simple key
factors:
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2005
Number 1
The provision of effective
feedback to students
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2005
Number 2
The active involvement of
students in their own
learning
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2005
Number 3
Adjusting teaching to take
account of the results of
assessment
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2005
Number 4
A recognition of the
profound influence
assessment has on the
motivation and selfesteem of students, both
of which are crucial
influences on learning
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2005
Number 5
The need for students to be
able to assess themselves and
understand how to improve
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Formative assessment strategies
include the use of
Learning Intentions
Or
Learning Outcomes
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2005
Formative assessment strategies
include the use of
Success CriteriaFormative
assessment strategies include the use
of
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2005
Formative assessment strategies
include the use of
Quality Questioning
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2005
Formative assessment strategies
include the use of
Quality learning
conversations
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Formative assessment strategies
include the use of
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Feedback
and
Feed forward
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Formative assessment strategies
include the use of
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Self and peer assessment
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Why Use Learning Intentions?
“Many pupils do not have a picture (of the
targets their learning is meant to attain) and
appear to have become accustomed to receiving
classroom teaching as an arbitrary sequence of
exercises with no overarching rationale…
When pupils do acquire such overview, they then
become more committed and more effective as
learners: their own assessments become an
object of discussion with their teachers and with
one another…”
Black & Wiliam
2005
Learning Intentions
All these terms mean the same thing:
New Zealand
Learning intentions
Learning outcomes
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Learning objectives
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Learning Intentions
What are we going to learn?
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They may be written like this:
We are learning to …
To be able to …
To understand / explain / discuss etc
Today we will be able to …
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Getting learning intentions right
Muddled learning intentions lead to:
Mismatched activities
Inappropriate focus
Awkward success criteria
Examples:
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To understand how camera angles help to create suspense in film
NOT
To understand how camera angles help to create suspense in The Matrix
Success Criteria
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How do we know we have met the learning intention?
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When success criteria are used …
the learning becomes more explicit
students can confirm, consolidate and integrate new
knowledge
future learning is scaffolded
students can see what quality looks like
Ann Davies
What does success criteria look
like?
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New Zealand
2005
Learning Intention:
To understand how camera angles help to create suspense in film
Success Criteria:
I can:
Give an example of how camera angles are used to create
suspense
Comment on the effect of the example described
Support my comments with reasons and/or justify them
Analyse the use of camera shots by discussing their use in
the film as a whole or other films
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2005
What does research tell us about
feedback?
Hattie’s meta analysis of influences on
student achievement showed:
Average effect was .40
Feedback was .79
Only direct instruction and reciprocal teaching
were higher
Students’ prior cognitive ability followed feedback
What is effective feedback?
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2005
It should be:
about the work, not the student
Comments, not grades or marks
aimed at closing the gap between where the student is now
and where he/she should be to achieve the standard
short
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2005
An example of feedback
To gain Merit you need to develop the effect of the low
angle shot with more specific detail.
To gain excellence you need to consider how low angle
shots are used elsewhere in the film or commonly used in
other films of this genre.
and improvement marking strategy
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New Zealand
2005
Further Reading
Absolum, Michael. (2006) Clarity in the Classroom, Using
Formative Assessment Hodder Education
Clarke, Shirley. (2005) Formative Assessment in the
Secondary Classroom Hodder Education
Hawk, K. & Hill, J. (2001) The Challenge of Formative
Assessment in Secondary Classrooms SPANZ Journal,
September 2001.