Formative Assessment Techniques

Group-based end-of-topic questions

Students are placed in groups and asked to come up with a question about the lesson. The teacher collects the questions, sorts them quickly, and deals with the questions on the same issue at the same time. Getting students to write down the questions helps them become better at asking questions.

Margin marking

Instead of marking each spelling or grammar mistake on essays, place a mark in the margin. Students then find their own mistakes and correct them.

Generating test items (with correct answers)

Students fourth grade and up design their own test questions with correct answers about what they have been learning. It helps the teacher be informed of their level of understanding.

Hinge-point questions

A hinge-point question is considered a diagnostic type question to be used by teachers in the middle of an instructional sequence to check for student understanding. Asking a hinge-point question should take no longer than 1-2 minutes and should take the teacher less than 30 seconds to make sense of student responses.

Daily sign-in

A large sheet is prepared with the student's names down the left side and columns for each day of the week. The students sign in daily. At the end of the week, the students along with a peer analyze and agree on their best sign-in of the week.

Popsicle sticks

A way to randomize student selection. This can be used in multiple ways for grouping and questioning strategies. Have all students put their name on a popsicle stick. Be sure to ask the question before drawing a popsicle stick - if not, not all students will be engaged. You may need to put sticks back into the cup so that students don't think that "now I don't have to worry about being called on". If students think that you are "stacking the deck" - let a student draw sticks - this also helps keep them on task.

ABCD corners

ABCD Corners are to be used as a choice for a multiple choice exercise. Once the students have chosen a card identifying his/her answer, they are sent to the ABCD corner that corresponds with their selection. Students must collaborate in order to justify their answer to the class.

ABCD cards

ABCD cards are utilized in various forms. One particular use is when either there is more than one correct answer or if there is no incorrect answer. The use of multiple correct answers allows the teacher to incorporate items that support differentiation, by including some responses that all students should be able to identify correctly but also others that only the astute will be able to identify as correct. This helps keep the highest students challenged and engaged. Another use is for cards to be used as a choice for a multiple choice exercise. Once the students have chosen a card identifying his/her answer, they are sent to the ABCD corner.

Two stars and a wish

After examining the work of peers, students provide feedback by listing 2 things that were good (the two stars), and one suggestion for improvement (the wish). These comments are written on sticky notes. If the student doesn't find the feedback helpful it can be removed from the work. The class can discuss the feedback notes and discuss the features of best rated feedback.

What not to write

After examining work samples, students compile a list of suggestions for their peers titled, "What Not To Write." This allows students to share pitfalls they recommend others avoid.

Three-fourths of the way through a unit test

After using Student Reporter, take the best questions from the student reporter and compile a test to give three-fourths of the way through a unit. Use those results to plan last part of unit.

Ranking exemplars

Allowing students to rank exemplars is a meaningful practice for modeling expectations and conveying qualities of proficient work. One method of doing this is to place students into groups, provide them with samples of work from last year's class, and have the students decide if some samples are better than others. Have students rank the samples in order of quality. Lastly, lead a group discussion and have groups share out reasons for their views. Use the views to create a rubric, with the students, for the assignment.

I-you-we checklists

At the end of a group activity, each student records something about his or her own contribution, something about others contributions, and an evaluation of the quality of the work of the group as a whole.

Learning logs

At the end of a lesson, students respond to three prompts from a given list: Today I learned...I was interested in... I was surprised by...etc.

Preflight checklist

Before a student can turn in an assignment, it must be signed off on by a buddy. After turned in, if items on the preflight checklist are not up to standard, the buddy is taken to task, not the student.

Real-time test

Before moving on to another lesson, the teacher poses questions to the class and allows them to respond with cards to indicate their answer. The teacher can quickly identify gaps or needs for further discussion or clarification.

Student reporter

Before the lesson is conducted a Student Reporter is selected. The teacher finishes the lesson 10 minutes early and the reporter summarizes the lesson for the class. The students may ask questions, and if the reporter doesn't know the answer s/he may call upon another classmate. As the lesson is conducted the student reporter may also make up questions to ask the class at the end.

Coloured cups

Colored cups are used to signal the teacher. The yellow cup wants the teacher to slow down. The re cup is displayed if the student has a question. Green indicates the student understands. If a student is showing green, she can be called upon to answer questions. This technique encapsulates engagement and contingency.

What did we learn today?

Divide the class into groups the last five minutes of class. Each group must make a list of things learned during the lesson. One person from each group then reports one thing from their list. (The number of groups must equal the number of items they list so no group gets left out.)

If you did know, what would you say?

Don't let students avoid thinking. Support them in thinking to get a response. Ideas: phone a friend; fifty-fifty; ask the audience.

Best accent competition

Each group chooses best answer or best quality of work. Each group then shares with the class their best and then the class chooses the overall best. Class identifies strengths and weaknesses of each.

Exit pass

Exit Slips are a fast and effective way to assess students understanding of the day's topic/target. They can be preprinted papers, index cards, or even students' scratch paper in which students respond to questions that focus on the day's lesson. Exit slips are an easy way to evaluate learning and provide data for differentiating further instruction.

Homework help board

Homework Help Board is a way to provide students who need help with homework the help they seek, while giving students who are proficient a chance for enrichment, by helping fellow students. Students who need help post the problems they are having on a board/chart. Students, who understand the homework, help their classmates work through the problems. This can be done at the start of the day for elementary school and at the beginning of the class for middle and high school.

If you don't know, I'll come back to you

If a teacher calls on a student and they "opt out" of answering the questions that has been asked the teacher needs to respond that they will come back to them for a response. After a number of students have responded the student who passed is called upon again to give the correct answer that they have heard. By doing this the student must remain engaged in the discussion and must be able to provide the correct answer.

Extended wait-time (for higher-order questions)

Increasing wait time at the end of a question helps in student response as well as increasing wait time from the end of the students response and the teachers evaluation of the response.

Statements rather than questions

Making high-level statements rather than asking questions creates an atmosphere where students must provide reasons for or against the statement, rather than just providing an answer. This requires them to support their thoughts and provides students with the opportunity to understand their peers' ways of thinking. Quality instruction is usually enhanced by providing a statement and then using the think-pair-share strategy so that the groups can share their thoughts.

Focused marking

Mark student work against one or two specific criteria, even though there may be many criteria that could be marked. This allows you to provide more focused and detailed feedback on these criteria than if everything was marked. The grade-book contains the skill marked rather than the title of the work set.

Mini white boards

Mini whiteboards are the latest reincarnation of the slates used in the 19th century. A powerful tool, teachers can quickly frame a question and get an answer for a whole class, as well as a small group for a great formative assessment.

Mystery Marking

Only accept student work when it is of a specific quality. You might only give one grade, an A. Students are expected to continue to redraft and resubmit their work as many times as necessary in order to achieve an A. The overall grade is then determined by the number of As.

Pose-pause-pounce-bounce

Pose a question, wait 5 seconds, "pounce" on a random student for the answer, and then bounce that student's answer to a different student asking them what they think about the first student's answer.

Question shells

Reframing a question to reveal student thinking. Two examples: Instead of "Is a square a trapezoid?"." Why is a square a trapezoid?". Instead of "Is a bat a mammal?", "Why is a bat a mammal and a penguin is not?".

No hands up except to ask a question

Students are called on randomly with a randomization device to answer questions, eliminating the need for students to raise their hand other than to ask a question.

Red-Green disks

Students are given a 2 sided disk, one side red, the other side green. Students begin class with green side up. If the pace of the class goes to fast, or the learning unclear, the student flips the disk to red. Teacher needs to continually monitor student disk colors.

Think-Pair-Share

Students are given the opportunity to discuss their responses in pairs before responding to the whole group.

Aim for the next level

Students identify areas of improvement by comparing their work to exemplars at the next level of achievement. Students realize that they need to set themselves higher standards. Able students find that they can improve a good piece of work.

Traffic lights

Students used colored dots to assess the extent of their learning. Green = confidence Yellow = uncertain Red = not learned Colors can also signify other stages of learned (e.g. Ready to move on; need some help; need much help).

Plus-minus-equals grading

The -,+,= system evaluates depending on whether the work submitted was not as good as, about the same as, or better than the student's previous work. The feedback is within the student's own control.

Choose-swap-choose

The student chooses a response that he thinks is best. Then swaps with a neighbor and he chooses which response is best. If they disagree, they discuss why?

Best composite test paper

The students are given a practice test under formal testing conditions. The teacher returns the ungraded tests to the students and places the students in groups of four. The students are then given a blank test along with their test from the previous day. The students then have to compile the best answer by discussing with the group. At the end of the discussion, the students then construct the best answer for each question to make a composite test paper.

Hot-seat questioning

The teacher asks a student a question and then a series of follow-up questions. Other students pay close attention, because they know at any minute the teacher can turn from the student "on the hot seat" and ask them to summarize what the student is saying.

Exit pass placemats

The teacher assigns an Exit Pass question and collects the cards with student names on the back. For the next period with the class. The teacher creates groups using the cards as placemats to create student engagement and learning.

A or nothing

The teacher grades the work and the student either gets an A or the work is returned because it is not ready for evaluation. Teacher gives specific feedback and emphasizes quality over quantity of work.

Best examples discussion

The teacher selects examples of good student work to share with the students in the class. The teacher points out the positive qualities in the piece of work with all students in the class. Students then need to judge their work based on these examples and intellectually determine how to make their own work to the high caliber examples provided.

Find the errors and fix them

The teacher tells the student to locate the problems that are wrong on the paper (they have not been identified by the teacher). The student then must check all of their work and correct the problem that is answered incorrectly.

Match the comments to the essays

The teacher writes comments about student work on strips of paper, then returns the comments and student work to a group of students and they must match the work with the comments.

Phone a friend

This activity makes classroom participation not optional. Instead, it gives students support without letting them "off the hook". Like the popular game "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" students have the option to phone a friend who can help them out with the answer. They can also opt for the "fifty-fifty" lifeline which eliminates two answers. This is a great way to keep all students engaged.

Go 50-50

This is a technique used during random questioning. This strategy allows a student to remove two incorrect responses if they are unsure of the answer. This technique helps the teacher to maintain student engagement by letting students know that student participation is not optional.

Error classification

This is a technique where the teacher finds the errors in the work and simply underlines them. The teacher then gives the student back their work, and they must classify the errors that were made. The student then locates a buddy who has strengths in their area of weaknesses. This buddy will help them to correct their mistakes.

WALT and WILF

This is a way to communicate to students the learning intentions and success criteria. You can use the acronym WALT for "We are learning to" and WILF for "What I am looking for". Sometimes TIB can be used for "This is because". These help the students understand how the learning today fits into prior lessons. These two techniques would be simple ways to communicate your learning targets if you wanted something besides the words "I can".

Learning portfolios

This is an incremental view of ability. When better work is done, it is added to the portfolio, not replacing previous work, but showing improvement and progress.

If you've learned it, help someone who hasn't

This strategy is a form of cooperative learning. Research has shown that the students who lean well in group work are those who give help and those who receive it. In this strategy, students can be paired to work on a concept to ensure that all students have an understanding of the material that is presented. The suggested pairing of students is weak with middle and middle with strong.

Group-based test prep

Use this strategy when reviewing for a test. Students are in groups of five or six. Each student receives a card with details on how to explain a concept to the group. After the student presents, his/her peers give feedback by displaying a red, yellow, or green cup. Green means better than I could have done. Yellow means about the same as I would have done. Red means not as good as I would have done. After giving feedback to the presenter, the group decides what information needs to be added to make the concept clearer.

Three best samples discussion

Using student samples to exemplify excellent work. Select the three best pieces of work and give them a provisional grade in the grade book (with no other comments or feedback on the paper). Then read the pieces aloud. Have students discuss what they thought were the important features which made the work exemplary. Then all students are invited to redraft their work (even the top three selected). This method shows excellent work and causes others to do intellectual work to compare their own work with the samples provided. This way the feedback is more engaging.

Page protectors

Using whiteboards or paper/ cardstock in a page protector is a powerful tool to quickly frame a question and get an answer from the whole class. Page protectors can be even more flexible than white boards because a teacher can preprint different prompts on the inserts for specific lessons. Examples: maps, graph paper, story maps, word families, math fact triangles, etc.

Marking for improvement

When grading student work, record a grade in your grade-book, but only give students written comments on how to improve. Give students time to read the comments in class and one week to resubmit the work. The final grade is the average of the first and resubmitted grade.

Reporter at random

When working in collaborative groups, do not assign a reporter at the beginning of the activity. If the reporter is picked randomly at the end of the activity, the students will stay more engaged throughout because of accountability.

Responding to marking

Write your teacher feedback, signed and dated, at the start of the exercise book. Students then make an appropriate response below the teacher feedback, including where to find any redrafting. Do not mark the next piece of work until the student has responded to the last feedback provided.

Writing frames

Writing frames are used as process criteria for scaffolding written responses. They can be used for any topic or subject.

Ask the audience

a) Phone a friend - ask a specific student. B) Ask the audience - poll the class. C) 50/50 narrow choices. d) Answer- student answers. Class participation is not optional when called on student must choose one of the above. "I don't know" is not acceptable.