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Formative Assessment Resources

Formative Assessment

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Formative Assessment Micro-Course Button

 

Click the "Learn More" button to sign up for one of the Micro-Courses!

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The Formative Assessment process used by teachers can help them determine the status of student learning, giving them the ability to adjust their teaching – in the moment - and to move all learners forward. Embedding formative assessment dimensions in everyday teaching is a research-based practice to improve individual student learning.

A central goal of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is for every individual in the state’s education system to work in concert to enhance student achievement. To that end, the ADE has developed a formative assessment framework.

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View the 2-page overview of the ADE Formative Assessment Framework document.   

2-Page Overview 

Where am I going, Where am I now, Where to next Graph

Effective use of the formative assessment process requires students and teachers to integrate and embed the following practices in a collaborative and respectful classroom environment:

  • Clarifying learning goals and success criteria within a broader progression of learning;
  • Eliciting and analyzing evidence of student thinking;
  • Engaging in self-assessment and peer feedback
  • Providing actionable feedback
  • Using evidence and feedback to move learning forward by adjusting learning strategies, goals, or next instructional steps.

 

What Formative Assessment is...What Formative Assessment is not...
A process used by leaders, teachers, and students in partnershipA checklist of what students can’t do or don’t know
Grounds decision making in ongoing evidence of learningSeparate from learning/working processes
Transparent about the learning expectations and how to get therePoints, scores, or grades
A process that moves all student learning forwardA mini-summative assessment, e.g., a test or quiz
Informs learning, rather than sums up learning with a scoreInterpreted only by teachers or leaders

 

Framework Roles in Formative Assessment

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ADE Full Framework Document

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Below is a series of micro-courses for you to learn more about Formative Assessment, the Formative Assessment Framework, and the vision for each role group in the system.

 

Micro Course 1

Micro Course 2

Micro Course 3

What is Formative Assessment?

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Introduction to the Arizona Formative Assessment Framework

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The Teacher's Role in a Formative Assessment Classroom

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Micro Course 4

Micro Course 5

Micro Course 6

A Vision for Students and Families in Schools Grounded in Formative Assessment Principles

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The Site Leader's Role in a School Grounded in Formative Assessment

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A Vision for State and District Leaders in a Formative Assessment System

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Framework Section

  • State Education Leaders’ Role in Formative Assessment


State Leadership Story

  • Leading From A "Formative Assessment" Space

Going Deeper

  • State Leaders’ Formative Assessment Responsibilities
  • Accountable Leadership

Framework Section

  • District and Charter Leaders’ Role in Formative Assessment

District Leadership Story

  • A Systems Approach to Creating an Ecology of Equity in a High-Poverty School District

Going Deeper

  • District and Charter Leaders’ Formative Assessment Responsibilities
  • Classroom Assessment Principles to Support Teaching and Learning

Framework Section

  • Site Leaders’ Role in Formative Assessment

Site Leadership Story

  • Leading Formative Assessment in Dallas: Toward Student Agency and Academic Achievement

Going Deeper

  • Site Leaders’ Formative Assessment Responsibilities
  • Lessons Learned About Leading the  Implementation of Formative Assessment A Framework for School Leaders and Leadership Teams

Framework Section

  • Teachers’ Role in Formative Assessment

Teacher Story

  • Hilary Johannes' Formative Assessment Learning Journey

Going Deeper

  • Teachers’ Formative Assessment Responsibilities
  • Planning to Support Student Agency through Formative Assessment: Understanding Key Instructional Routines

Framework Section

  • Student's Role in Formative Assessment

Student's Story

  • Learners’ Perspectives on Formative Assessment Culture


Going Deeper

  • Students' Formative Assessment Responsibilities
  • The Student Role in Advanced Formative Assessment Practice: Self-Assessment, Peer Feedback, and Discourse

Framework Section

  • Families’ and Caregivers’ Role in Formative Assessment

Going Deeper

  • Families’ and Caregivers’ Formative Assessment Responsibilities
  • Involving Parents in Assessment
  • Equity as family/whānau opportunities for participation in formative assessment

 

Arizona Formative Assessment Resources:

  • Arizona Professional Learning Series (AZPLS)

This learning series provides district and school teams with a process to guide and assist in building a foundation for systems change that will impact literacy outcomes by closing the achievement gap for students with specific learning disabilities. Every part of the professional learning series will empower students to be successful learners in a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.

 

Other Resources

  • Revising the Definition of Formative Assessment

This document, by the Formative Assessment for Students and Teachers (FAST) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards SCASS), provides an up-to-date, research-based definition of formative assessment. It also includes detailed descriptions of the formative assessment practices and the support teachers need to implement them.

 

  • Using the Formative Assessment Rubrics, Reflection and Observation Tools to Support Professional Reflection on Practice (FARROP)

Commissioned by the Formative Assessment for Students and Teachers (FAST) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), this observation tool includes ten dimensions of formative assessment to support the reflection and improvement of teachers’ formative assessment practice.

 

  • The Research Base for Formative Assessment

This article from the GettingSmart website provides an overview of research that grounds formative assessment practice.

 

  • Fundamentals of Learning

This article from the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation provides a foundation for learning and successful formative assessment implementation.

 

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