FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Not Just Another Test.

FORMATIVE tests; LEARNING goals; TEACHER training; STANDARDIZED tests; PSYCHOLOGICAL feedback; TEACHER-student communication; STUDENT participation in curriculum planning

SYRACUSE (N.Y.); NEW York (State); UNITED States

The article reports on the use of formative assessment as a tool to standardize good teaching practices and improve engagement with students. Formative assessment involves breaking units into a series of attainable goals. Students participate in setting the goals and are assessed and given feedback based on their progress. A pilot program in Syracuse, New York is described in which formative assessment was introduced to a group of 4th and 5th grade students, teachers, and administrators. Strategies employed in the program included professional development training for teachers, emphasizing difficult concepts to students before they became problematic, and providing targeted, timely feedback to students. The pilot program's contribution to improving standardized test scores is discussed.