Foundations of Formative Assessment in Education

Formative assessments are a critical aspect of the assessment approach outlined in the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). They are defined as continuous and ongoing.

Purpose and Function:

• The primary purpose of formative assessments is to track student learning.

• They are used to provide ongoing feedback that Teachers can use to improve their teaching and students can use to improve their learning.

• Formative assessment acts as a part of and as input to the teaching-learning process.

• Gathering evidence through formative assessment helps Teachers understand the effectiveness of their pedagogy, what students have understood, what needs further work, and which teaching methods and resources are effective.

• For students, formative assessments are meant to be a tool to help them understand and reflect on their own learning. When designed as non-threatening tools for self-reflection, they can become developmental and constructive.

• The aim of assessment, shifting from summative and rote memorization, is to become regular and formative, competency-based, and promote learning and development.

Characteristics:

• Formative assessments are generally low stake and do not have strong consequences.

• They should be constructive, developmental, and learning focussed.

• They track student progress on all aspects of learning as stated in the Competencies and Learning Outcomes.

• They should measure achievement of Competencies and Learning Outcomes, testing higher-order skills like analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity, rather than primarily rote memorization.

Implementation Across Stages:

• In the Foundational Stage, assessments are largely based on observation and analysing artefacts created by the child, seamlessly integrated into the learning experience without explicit tests. While not explicitly called “formative,” the description aligns with the purpose of continuous tracking and understanding of learning.

• In the Preparatory Stage, a robust system of formative assessment is required to track individual student progress as formal learning begins. Assessment acts as an instructional tool. A variety of formative oral and written assessments should be introduced, testing conceptual understanding, Competencies, and encouraging creativity, in addition to observation and artefacts.

• In the Middle Stage, various formative assessment techniques are recommended due to the focus on conceptual understanding and higher-order capacities. These include projects, debates, presentations, experiments, investigations, role plays, journals, and portfolios. Regular assessments using MCQs and constructed responses (short/long answer) may be used to track progress, provide feedback, and revise teaching plans, with a focus on conceptual understanding and higher-order capacities, not rote learning.

• In the Secondary Stage, regular formative assessments should be effectively practised for meaningful learning and constructive feedback, given the demand for greater subject depth. Classroom assessments continue to be important. Self-assessment also plays a key role, facilitating students to monitor their learning and adjust strategies. Case-based questions, simulations, and essay-type questions can be designed for formative assessment to assess Competencies and revise teaching-learning processes.

Tools and Methods:

• A variety of assessment methods should be used, including paper-pencil tests, oral assessments, project work, and group assignments.

• Specific examples of formative assessment mentioned include:

  • Observing student behaviour in class.

  • Asking students to draw a concept map.

  • Asking students to write a few sentences with a friend on a poem.

  • Correcting worksheets.

  • Oral assessments (reading aloud, responding to questions, recitation, debates, discussions).

  • Written tests (objective type like MCQs, constructed response, graphic organisers).

  • Practical tests (experiments, artefacts, demonstration, projects).

  • Open-book tests (when used to assess processing/application rather than recall).

  • Using question banks and problem sets linked to the curriculum.

  • Non-threatening quizzes for students to take charge of their own learning.

  • Teacher observations.

  • Analysing artefacts created by students.

  • Self-assessment.

  • Portfolios.

  • Journals.

  • Projects.

  • Group work.

  • Discussions and debates.

  • Role plays and presentations.

• The same tool (e.g., a written test) can be used for formative or summative purposes depending on how it is designed and the purpose for which the results are used. If a paper-pencil test is used to understand student struggles and inform the next class, it is formative.

Feedback and Reporting:

• Formative assessments should be supported by timely, credible, and constructive feedback to students. This feedback should indicate what worked well and areas for improvement.

• While the Holistic Progress Card (HPC) aggregates student learning over time, it also incorporates evidence from formative assessments and provides detailed feedback beyond just a single score.

In essence, NCF describes formative assessment as an integrated, ongoing process fundamental to the teaching-learning cycle, focused on tracking student progress, providing feedback, and improving pedagogical practices, using a wide variety of tools appropriate for each developmental stage.