Another analogy: my husband’s recent shoulder injury. He dutifully did the physical therapy he was prescribed, but things only got worse—until he finally got an MRI. Turned out a whole new issue had developed! Waiting that long for the MRI—the summative assessment—kept us from seeing how things were going and adjusting in real time. You see my point: regular measures of the impact of instruction are vital in the same way.
More and more classrooms are providing teachers with good tools for measuring learning. Problem is, that turns an increasingly large percentage of classroom time into something that looks like an assessment. Rather than coaching a group of students as they practice selecting relevant evidence, teachers spend more time watching their students take more tests.
To solve this problem, here are the questions we should be asking:
What is the data capturing?
A. Learning achieved, or
B. learning in progress?
How often can I collect and analyze data?
A. At learning end points with need for analysis, or
B. during learning for quick strategizing?
Where is the assessment being placed?
A. End of practice or
B. Within practice
How does it support student practice?
A. It provides information but assumes practice or
B. It is part of practice
If you answered “B” to each question, that’s formative assessment done right. In the next post, we’ll talk about how, and why, it works.
And now, another walk around the block.