Review on my Professional Development on Formative Assessment

One of the key massages of the trainer, Susann M. Brookhart on formative assessment is that the effective use of formative assessment can significantly improve student learning and raise teacher quality. Hence, both teachers and students must be sufficiently familiar and equipped with the knowledge or skill to put such assessment to work for themselves (teachers and students). Another take-away from the workshop was that teachers must convey and put information about learning into the hands of the most important decision makers of all – the students. Hence, what is important is the ways that formative assessment process, in particular the specifics which will enable students to make use of their own minds to be intentional and skilled learner.

While I agree on the importance of students themselves taking responsibility for their own learning, the focus in my classroom level practice will be on using formative assessment as part of my instructional intervention – the process which enables students to be independent learners. This arises from my belief that effective formative assessment will help us teachers in supporting our students learning – that is to enable teachers to check for student understanding.

The full day workshop last Friday presented us with formative assessment practices that help students learn how to learn. She frames the learning–assessment process with these key questions which are aligned to the objectives of my school’s assessment framework.

- Where am I going?

- Where am I now?

- How am I getting there?

By answering the assessment question (Where am I now?), in relation to instructional goal (Where am I going?) with specifics on addressing what is needed to reach the goal (How am I getting there?), the formative assessment process directly supports improvement in student learning.

Ideally, then, formative assessment should be seamlessly integrated with my classroom instruction. In my desire to incorporate formative assessment with instructions, placing particular emphasis on the ways that such processes enable students to learn – I will begin by focusing on content. I hope through my engagement in content, such formative assessment will become meaningful, for both myself as the teacher as well as my students – our wanting (for students and students themselves) to learn. Then, consider the learning progression… to be continued.