From Formal Embedded Assessments to Reflective Lessons: The Development of Formative Assessment Studies

Abstract

The idea that formative assessments embedded in a curriculum could help guide teachers toward better instructional practices that lead to greater student learning has taken center stage in science assessment research. In order to embed formative assessments in a curriculum, curriculum developers and assessment specialists should collaborate to create these assessment tasks. This article describes the development of the formal embedded formative assessments and implementation plans for the collaborative research study. It describes the fundamental shift away from "summative assessment scripts" to formative assessments lesson scripts. Assessment tasks and implementation plans are described along with the rationale for why these tasks were selected and where these tasks were placed in the curriculum. Finally, we conclude about how to embed formative assessments in new or existing curricula and how to help teachers use these assessments successfully. We point out the critical importance of collaboration and professional development aimed at enabling teachers to re-conceptualize the role of assessments in their teaching, linking formative assessments to overall goals, and providing a learning trajectory as reference for teachers to locate students' ideas in the trajectory and provide feedback accordingly.

Teachers' views on the use of assessment for learning and data-based decision making in classroom practice

“…In this study, we focus on twelve assessment types teachers can use in Dutch secondary education (see Table 1). This is not an exhaustive list, but an overview of the classroom assessments most frequently mentioned in literature (Van der Kleij et al, 2015;Schildkamp & Kuiper, 2010;Ayala et al, 2008;Black & Wiliam, 1998;Newby & Winterbottom, 2011;Ruiz-Primo, 2011).…”

Science Classroom Discussion as Scientific Argumentation: A Study of Conceptually Rich (and Poor) Student Talk

“…The Romance Project embedded a series of formative assessment "suites" at several different points in the FAST curriculum (for details, see Ayala et al, 2008;. Each formative assessment suite lasted about three class periods and combined a set of evidence-rich activities with scientific argumentation, including the interpretation of a graph, a Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) activity (White & Gunstone, 1992), and a short writing prompt asking students to compose their own general explanation for why things tend to sink or float.…”

Development and pilot testing of a three-dimensional, phenomenon-based unit that integrates evolution and heredity

“…Finally, researchers in science education have called for embedded formative assessments in curriculum materials (Achieve, Inc. 2016). Teachers can use these assessments to uncover student thinking and inform further instruction (Ayala et al 2008;Furtak et al 2016). The well-documented benefits of formative assessments in supporting student learning (e.g., Kingston and Nash 2011) include narrowing achievement gaps between high and low performing students (Black and Wiliam 1998).…”

“…Performance-based formative assessment tasks provide opportunities for students to explain their thinking though written activities (Kang et al 2014). They can take many forms, including constructed response (Ayala et al 2008) and multiple choice with written justification (Furtak 2009), among others.…”