Maximising impact by defining purpose in formative assessment

Helen Skelton, Head of Science, Beaumont School, UK Formative assessment has the power to transform learning, since it yields evidence that is used to adapt teaching to meet student needs. As Black and Wiliam (1998, pp. 1–2) put it, ‘Teachers need to know about their pupils’ progress and difficulties with learning so that they can adapt their own work to meet their needs.’ In my practice, assessment had become largely synonymous with ‘book marking’ or ‘tests’, resulting in the loss of valuable opportunities to interrogate students’ learning at the granular level required to effectively support them. An assessment will only provide such information if it is crafted for that specific purpose (Kime, 2017). Learning about assessment theory exposed my flawed understanding of effective formative assessment, which should be low-stakes and diagnostic (Christodoulou, 2016). Assessment of (summative) and not assessment for (formative) learning had come to dominate my practice.