ABSTRACT
Formative assessment engages teachers and students to answer three basic questions throughout the learning process: Where is the student trying to go? Where is the student now? How can the student close the gap? The benefits of formative assessment are significant. Take a middle-ranked student from a class of 100 students. Give that student only one formative assessment during a 15-week period and research suggests that their class ranking would improve by about 14 students. Clearly communicating learning intentions and assessment criteria are critical success factors to any formative assessment strategy. Not only do students who receive explicit goal and assessment information outperform students who do not but also the habits formed make them more efficient learners in future learning contexts. But as with all forms of assessment, formative assessment takes time and resources, which can reduce instructional time and increase administrative burden.
