Formative Assessment

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Formative e-assessment:

some theoretical resources

Dylan Wiliam

www.dylanwiliam.net

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Feedback

Components of a feedback system Components of a feedback system



 data on the actual level of some measurable attribute;data on the actual level of some measurable attribute; 

 data on the reference level of that attribute;data on the reference level of that attribute; 

 a mechanism for comparing the two levels and generating informationa mechanism for comparing the two levels and generating information about the ‘gap’ between the two levels;

about the ‘gap’ between the two levels; 

 a mechanism by which the information can be used to alter the gap.a mechanism by which the information can be used to alter the gap.

To an engineer, information is therefore feedback only if the information To an engineer, information is therefore feedback only if the information fed back is actually used in closing the gap.

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Formative assessment

Frequent feedback is not necessarily formative Frequent feedback is not necessarily formative

Feedback that causes

Feedback that causes improvement is not necessarily formativeimprovement is not necessarily formative

Assessment is formative only if the information fed back to the learner is Assessment is formative only if the information fed back to the learner is used by the learner in making improvements

used by the learner in making improvements

To be formative, assessment must include a recipe for future action To be formative, assessment must include a recipe for future action

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No such thing as formative assessment

Descriptions of Descriptions of   InstrumentsInstruments   PurposesPurposes   FunctionsFunctions

An assessment functions formatively when evidence about student

achievement elicited by the assessment is interpreted and used to

make decisions about the next steps in instruction that

make decisions about the next steps in instruction that are likely to

are likely to

be better, or better founded, than the decisions that would have

been made in the absence of that evidence.

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Some principles

A commitment to formative assessment A commitment to formative assessment 

 Does not entail any view of what is to be learnedDoes not entail any view of what is to be learned 

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Types of formative assessment

Long-cycle Long-cycle



 Span: across units, termsSpan: across units, terms 

 Length: four weeks to one year Length: four weeks to one year Medium-cycle

Medium-cycle 

 Span: within and between teaching unitsSpan: within and between teaching units 

 Length: one to four weeksLength: one to four weeks Short-cycle

Short-cycle 

 Span: within and between lessonsSpan: within and between lessons 

 Length:Length: 

 day-by-day: 24 to 48 hoursday-by-day: 24 to 48 hours 

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Unpacking formative assessment

Key processes Key processes 

 Establishing where the learners are in their learningEstablishing where the learners are in their learning 

 Establishing where they are goingEstablishing where they are going 

 Working out how to get thereWorking out how to get there

Participants Participants   TeachersTeachers   PeersPeers   LearnersLearners

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Activating students as owners Activating students as owners

of their own learning of their own learning Understand Understand learning learning intentions intentions Learner Learner

Activating students as learning Activating students as learning

resources for one another resources for one another Understand and Understand and share learning share learning intentions intentions Peer Peer Providing feedback Providing feedback that moves that moves learners forward learners forward Engineering Engineering effective effective discussions, tasks discussions, tasks and activities that and activities that elicit evidence of elicit evidence of learning learning Clarify and Clarify and share learning share learning intentions intentions Teacher Teacher

How to get there How to get there Where the learner is

Where the learner is Where the

Where the

learner is going learner is going

Aspects of formative assessment

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Five “key strategies”…

Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions



 curriculum philosophy (goals and horizons)curriculum philosophy (goals and horizons)

Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit

evidence of learning evidence of learning



 classroom discourse, interactive whole-class teachingclassroom discourse, interactive whole-class teaching Providing feedback that moves learners forward

Providing feedback that moves learners forward 

 feedbackfeedback

Activating students as learning resources for one another Activating students as learning resources for one another



 collaborative learning, reciprocal teaching, peer-assessmentcollaborative learning, reciprocal teaching, peer-assessment Activating students as owners of their own learning

Activating students as owners of their own learning 

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…and one big idea

Use evidence about learning to adapt teaching and lea

Use evidence about learning to adapt teaching and learning to meetrning to meet student needs

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Gresham’s law and assessment

Usually (incorrectly) stated as “Bad money drives out good” Usually (incorrectly) stated as “Bad money drives out good”

“The essential condition for Gresham's Law to operate is that there must “The essential condition for Gresham's Law to operate is that there must be two (or more) kinds of money which are of equivalent value for some be two (or more) kinds of money which are of equivalent value for some purposes and of different value for others” (Mundell, 1998)

purposes and of different value for others” (Mundell, 1998)

The parallel for

The parallel for assessment: Summative drives out formativeassessment: Summative drives out formative

Perhaps the most that

Perhaps the most that summative assessment (more properly,summative assessment (more properly,

assessment designed to serve a summative function) can do is keep out assessment designed to serve a summative function) can do is keep out of the way

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Signature pedagogies…

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…in Law

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…in Medicine

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Changing demands for skill

Which of the following categories of skill has disappeared from the Which of the following categories of skill has disappeared from the work-place most over the last forty years?

work-place most over the last forty years? y

y Routine manualRoutine manual y

y Non-routine manualNon-routine manual y

y Routine cognitiveRoutine cognitive y

y Complex communicationComplex communication y

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The regulation of learning

Signature pedagogies Signature pedagogies 

 Pedagogies of engagementPedagogies of engagement 

 Pedagogies of contingencyPedagogies of contingency   ProactiveProactive   InteractiveInteractive   RetroactiveRetroactive