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Formative Assessment in
Elementary Science
When you hear the word “formative”
assessment, does the thought of portfolio
management come to mind? How about
checklists that get shuffled around the top
of your desk, or the backseat of your car
because you just can’t figure out what to do
with the information that you’ve gathered? It
doesn’t have to be that way! By spending
some time with your students, asking some
thought-provoking questions, and listening to
them talk about what they are doing in class,
you can gain a very clear picture about what
your students understand.
Assessment “for” learning vs. assessment
“of” learning - the distinction between the two
is pivotal. Assessment for learning happens
while learning is still underway. It isn’t about
grades, but about getting better. “Effective
use of formative assessment includes using
assessment results to plan instruction, using
assessment information and materials to
involve students in their own assessment,
and communicating assessment results
clearly and in a way tailored to the user’s
needs.” (Stiggins et al., 2004, 2006)
According to Stiggins et al., the student’s role
in formative assessment is to self-assess
and keep track of progress, set goals, and
act on assessment results. “Self-assessment
by pupils, far from being a luxury, is in
fact an essential component of formative
assessment.” (Black & William, 1998)
Something as seemingly simple as having
students restate the problem or the question
can lead to creativity and self-confidence.
By allowing our students to talk about their
solutions or their thoughts, by allowing them
to talk with others, and even more powerful, if
they can spend time talking with their teacher,
students get immediate feedback and make
connections that will in turn, facilitate future
decision making.
Science notebooks can be a part of ongoing
formative assessment in the classroom.
The writing contained in these notebooks
can allow the teacher to see what students
understand, how they approach problem
solving, and what misconceptions they
have. Before you start thinking that the use
of notebooks in class means yet another
thing for you to grade, they aren’t for that
purpose. Formative assessment is not to
be graded, but for getting better, remember?
Science notebooks are more likely to be a
learning tool if students feel safe to express
what they know and to show how they know.
When students are actively engaged in
using notebooks, these notebooks have an
important role in improving expository writing,
vocabulary development, understanding the
nature of science and math, and improving
student learning and achievement. That’s a
lot of bang for a small notebook.
Based on brain research, teachers may be
accidentally impeding thinking, intelligence
and brain growth, and ultimately creating
“slow learners” by the lack of feedback and
the large lag time we have built into the
typical learning environment. How often do
classroom teachers meet with students and
actually spend time talking with them? A
conversation with students could be a handy
proactive tool instead of being faced with
re-teaching after discovering that half of the
class can’t apply the math concepts needed
for the constructed response.
When students talk deliberately, purposefully,
and perceptively, learning and thinking
increase dramatically. The better the
quality of the questions that we ask our
students, the more their brain is challenged
to think. A challenge to think should bring
about disequilibrium – when we are feeling
perplexed or unsure or even confused about