Formative Assessment: Scholarly Opinions and Approaches towards Classroom Assessment

This essay focuses on formative assessment, where diagnostic testing is one of an important component. As a matter of specification, the essay peeks into scholarly opinions regarding approach towards classroom assessment.

Running head: TESTING AND EVALUATION
Question and answers
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
TESTING AND EVALUATION
Introduction
Assessment is necessary in every field for measuring the effectiveness,
appropriateness and feasibility of the steps taken for conducting the business operations. In
the field of education, assessment is necessary for gaining an insight into the extent to which
the employees can grasp the lectures (Timmers, Walraven & Veldkamp, 2015). This essay
focuses on formative assessment, where diagnostic testing is one of an important component.
As a matter of specification, the essay peeks into scholarly opinions regarding approach
towards classroom assessment.
Discussion
Literary and empirical studies on formative assessment
Formative assessment or assessment for learning is effective both for the students and
the teachers. This is in terms of ensuring the effectiveness, appropriateness and feasibility of
the pedagogy. According to the opinions of Decristan et al. (2015), learning is essential for
the students in terms of upgrading the preconceived skills, expertise and knowledge. Here,
intervention of the teachers is assistance for taking the learning process of the students in
right direction. In-process evaluations help in measuring the extent to which the teachers have
been successful in guiding the students towards the academic establishments. On the other
hand, these in-process evaluations are also beneficial for the students in terms of ensuring
their efforts towards making practical application of the learnt skills.
As per the arguments of Keeley, (2015) formative assessment plays an important role
in enhancing the awareness about promoting design thinking of the students. The focus of the
teachers needs to be on strategic planning for upgrading the learning process. Designing or
modification of the lessons act as a wise step in terms of fulfilling the need analysis for the
students. Integration of formative assessment within the course materials eases the process of
evaluating the feasibility of the adopted pedagogy.
However, Black, (2015) opines that formative assessment is optimistic in the field of
education. It is incomplete in terms of executing the assessment for the learning process. The
previous research on formative assessment have proved successful in shedding light on the
implementation of formative assessment and securing the benefits. Using a framework help
the teachers and the students to conduct the evaluation of the learning process in a proper
manner. Effective use of the framework helps in developing correlation between the current

2
TESTING AND EVALUATION
pedagogical practices. Black proposes three main components in this direction: The first
involves theoretical consideration for conducting the assessments. This is irrespective of
formative or summative assessments. The second component is that of feedbacks, which
helps the teachers in conducting the assessments according to the capability of the students
(Wiliam & Thompson, 2017). The third component is that of recommendations for the
teachers for improving the adjustability skills of the students within the classroom.
As per the opinions of Tsai, Tsai and Lin, (2015), different gaming models finds
significance for assessing the learning process. The propositions of the articles grabs the
attention of the readers towards online learning environment, which has enhanced the virtual
skills of the students. Herein mention can be made of the online learning platforms, which
inculcates the values of group study within the studies. According to the results, it was
established that game based learning creates interest within the students. Along with this, if
the assessment is done in the form of games, it is helpful for the teachers in gaining an insight
into the grasping capacity of the learners. Scores of this assessment is effective in terms of
conducting the evaluation (Andersson & Palm, 2017).
In the opinions of Graham, Hebert and Harris, (2015), meta-analysis gains importance
for conducting formative assessment. For determining formative writing assessments, meta-
analysis was conducting for the students from grade 1 to 8. Feedback from the adult, peers,
and computers, it can be said that there are separate values for writing skills and quality. 6+1
Trait Writing Model was used for enhancing the writing quality of the students. The findings
of the meta-analysis states that formative assessment directly enhances the knowledge of the
students regarding the learning process. The major drive behind this is the feedbacks, which
help in improving the standards and quality of the learning process. However, Kleij et al.
(2015) opines that consistency in the provision of feedbacks is effective for both the students
and the learning in terms of upgrading the standards of their learning processes. Evaluation in
this aspect is productive for detecting the drawbacks, which needs to be modified for
reaching to the benchmark level of performance.
As stated by Yan and Cheng, (2015), Theory of Planned Behaviour gains an
important position for determining the approach of the teachers towards using the
frameworks for formative assessment. As a matter of specification, instrumental attitude,
subjective norms and self-efficacy contributes in projecting the intentions of the teachers
towards conducting the formative assessment. Affectation on the attitudes and controllability

3
TESTING AND EVALUATION
does not contribute in the predicting the approaches towards formative assessments. Rasch
analysis is effective in terms of conducting subjective journey mapping for the pedagogy.
On the other hand, Furtak et al. (2016) is of the view that formative assessment can be
categorized into four abilities; designing the tasks, asking questions for broadening the
thought horizons of the students, interpreting the ideas generated by the students and
providing feedbacks for forwarding the thoughts of the students. All these aspects have
proved positive in terms of ensuring the academic establishment for the students. Designing
the formative tasks help the teachers to gain awareness about the instructions regarding the
pedagogical instructions. One of the main components of the arguments of Furtak is
Formative Assessment Design Cycle (FADC), where the main actions revolve around
designing, enacting and reflecting upon the evaluations conducted.
Interpreting the learning ideas is effective in terms of making estimates about their
learning. The results states that on an average, the ability of the teachers increased towards
deducing relevant ideas from the learning of the students (Hooshyar et al., 2016). Herein lays
the effectiveness of open ended questions. Feedbacks enhanced the awareness of the teachers
regarding the effectiveness and appropriateness of the undertaken pedagogical theories. As a
matter of specification, conducting evaluation at year ends proved effective in terms of
reviewing the feasibility of the learning process. This review helps in ensuring whether the
learning is in right track for guiding the students towards their academic establishment.
On the contrary, the opinions of Dolin, J., Black, Harlen and Tiberghien, (2018)
projects the transformation, which the students attain through learning. Theoretical aspect
towards transformation can be correlated with cognitive learning theory and Great Man
Theory. There goes a saying. “Learning makes a man perfect.” Within this, evaluation act as
an agent for assessing the effectiveness of the adopted learning methods. Evaluation is
beneficial both for the student and the teachers for detecting the drawbacks within the
performance. Maintaining consistency in the execution of evaluation helps both the students
and the teachers to upgrade the standards and quality of their performance. Teachers play an
important role in this evaluation (Wylie & Lyon, 2015). Conducting need analysis of the
students helps the teachers to gain information about the support, which the students need for
enhancing their learning process. Herein lays the appropriateness of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs. According to the needs of the students, it is the need for increasing their self-esteem
through education.

4
TESTING AND EVALUATION
In the propositions of Strijbos and Wichmann, (2018), importance of formative peer
assessment gains prominence. Strijibos and Wichmann clarifies the perspectives of the
readers about the application of formative peer assessment into the primary and secondary
education levels. The reason behind this is the feedbacks, which have increased the quality
and standards of the formative assessments. Collaborative output widens the scope and arena
of the assessments, making it a social endeavour towards career establishment of the students.
Approach of the teachers towards classroom assessment
Assessment is one of the vital aspects of the educational curriculum. Assessments and
evaluations make the teachers, professors and the administrative personnel aware of the
feasibility, appropriateness and effectiveness of the adopted pedagogy. This is in terms of
ensuring the academic establishment of the students. Since the advent of assessments, the
educational institutions have concentrated on the traditional categories for testing the
effectiveness of the learning processes (Thanh Pham & Renshaw, 2015). Herein lays the
appropriateness of the formative and summative forms of assessment. Typical examples of
this are the progressive tests and checklists, which enhanced the awareness of the teachers
about the extent to which the students are progressing in their learning. Scoring the
performance of the students helped the teachers in gaining an insight into the additional
requirements of the students within the duration of the curriculum.
The era of 1997 witnessed the initiation of the assessment procedure in case of
primary level education in Sri Lanka. Within this, one of the vital aspect was training
programs for the teachers in terms of enhancing their capabilities and skills. Herein lays the
correlation with Competency Based Curriculum, which was introduced for Grade 1 to 5 at the
primary level. Government is in charge of funding for the formative assessment (Tomasik,
Berger & Moser, 2018). This aligns with the traditional education aspects. This is because
funding helps in conducting the assessment through checklists and scoring programs. Here,
there are basically three objectives:
 To identify the teaching methods used by the primary teachers for conducting the
assessments
 To assess the satisfaction level of the children within the process of assessments in the
primary level
 To excavate the problems faced by the teachers during the assessment process

5
TESTING AND EVALUATION
Traditional educational learning methods used by educational institutions included both
formative and summative assessments. However, the preferred assessment method was
formative. This is in terms of the report, which acted as an agent for the teachers in terms of
preparing the lesson plans for the students. According to the statistics, 46% of the primary
class teachers exposed agreement towards maintaining subjective records of the performance
exposed by the students (Gov.lk, 2018). This is because of the subjects, English, Mathematics
and Environmental Science, which occupied important position within the course curriculum.
The teachers were of the view that record keeping made it convenient for assessing the
educational needs of the children. The statistics for this aspect accounts for 83% in case of
the primary agreeing towards maintaining records. The percentile accounts for 61% in terms
of the primary teachers conscious towards maintaining records for enhancing the
competencies for learning.
According to the revisions made by the Sri Lankan government, in the formative
assessment, the satisfaction levels of the teachers vary according to varying assessment
means and methods. Here, adherence to the standards and protocols of the educational
legislations is indicative of increase in the satisfaction levels of the teachers and the
administrative personnel. On the contrary, non-compliance to the legislations, decreases the
satisfaction of the teachers, as it results in the achievement of negative outcomes towards the
academic establishment of the students. As per the arguments of Fulcher, (2012), the concept
of assessment literacy has gained much significance for assessing the needs of the clients and
the customers. Consideration of the plans regarding the preparation of new pedagogic
materials is effective in terms of aligning the needs with the identified educational objectives.
Internet breaks the shackles of the traditional educational pedagogy. Development of the
online resources has resulted in support program delivery, making the students aware of the
latest and modern usage of internet. Even in the aspect of assessment, internet has created
wonders. Uploading the checklists in the internet has reduced the burden of the teachers
towards scoring the learning of the students’ progress through checklists. Sharing the
prepared reports have been easier and takes much less (Shirley & Irving, 2015). Government
funding has been an added advantage for acquiring the essential requirements for enhancing
the learning needs of the students.
Alternative methods used for addressing the issues in teaching/learning environment

6
TESTING AND EVALUATION
Although formative assessment aligns with the traditional educational convention, it
is time consuming, which delays the process of learning for the students. This decreases the
potential capabilities and competencies of both the students and teachers. In terms of the
online assessment methods, formative assessment needs in-depth tracking for the data
shared by the educational institutions to their clients. This aggravates the complexities of
cybercrimes, which compels the educational institutional personnel to loss data regarding the
educational needs of the students. However, Wongwatkit et al., (2017) opines that
summative assessment can be used for evaluating the progress of the students. Conducting
the evaluation at the end of the semester would be effective in terms of completing the
courses at one go without any interruptions. Along with this, summative assessments helps in
aligning the achievements with the objectives.
Final examinations and proficiency tests act assistance for the teachers in terms of
assessing the capability of the students in terms of making practical application of the learnt
skills. Unit tests aligned with the traditional pedagogy, which increased the stress level of the
students. These type of tests lacked feedbacks, however, it was the only means for gaining
scores. The critics point out explicit assessment, where the teachers announce the assessment
program. On the other hand, Lau, (2016) is of the view that in this assessment, the results are
not always positive, as the teaching and the assessment methods lacks clear definition.
Mention can also be made of the implicit assessment, where neither the students nor the
teachers are aware of the assessments.
Reviewing both implicit and explicit assessment, it can be said that explicit
assessment is effective in terms of the awareness towards the assessments. Announcement for
assessment indicates productive output from the administrative personnel in terms of
acquiring educational resources. Announcements aligns with the formal code of conduct for
informing the personnel about the assessment. Along with this, classroom assessment can
also be undertaken for assessing the performance of the students. However, Baleni, (2015)
projects the confusion regarding attaching proper definition to this type of assessment. This is
because summative, formative, implicit and explicit assessments can be conducted within the
classroom.
Teachers are at liberty to conduct proficiency tests, aptitude tests and others for
assessing the performance of the students in the class. Observing the approach of the students
towards the provided lectures is vital for scoring their performance. These scores is effective

7
TESTING AND EVALUATION
for exercising judgmental rationality towards enhancing the learning needs of the students.
Critics also opine that classroom assessments can be formative or summative based on
decisions undertaken for upgrading the standards and quality of the learning process (Box,
Skoog & Dabbs, 2015). Summative assessment can be a part of classroom assessment. This is
possible only if the teachers consider scores and feedbacks as an integral part of assessment.
When there is compulsion for the teachers to collect scores or when contents of the syllabus
is forcefully completed for preparing the students for the mid-term of final exams, summative
assessment finds their applicability.
The critics are also of the view that formative tests along with feedbacks contradicts
the aspect of stressful situation created by the exams. This is because feedbacks on revising
the exams policies limits the wish of the students regarding exposing performance as they
want. This is mostly the case of the crowded class where the teachers are focused on
controlling large number of students. Therefore, tests are more effective means for assessing
the performance of the students. Here, the aspect of “black box” is used for describing the
classroom area. This involves pupils, teachers, management, parents and the norms (Tomasik,
Berger & Moser, 2018). These persons are usually considered as out of the box. However,
including these people in the curriculum meetings would help in planning effective learning
programs for the students. Along with this, including the personnel in the meetings would
suffice the need for deciding effective programs for enhancing the standards and quality of
the assessment methods.
The critics opine that the students, who re knowledgeable and competent expose
better performance. Assessment of this type of performance increases the satisfaction level of
the teachers. This is a process, which reflects the approach of the teachers to the career
establishment of the students. Along with this, it also reflects the professional development of
the teachers in terms of increasing the satisfaction level through motivating and encouraging
the students (Thanh Pham & Renshaw, 2015). Among the tasks done in the classroom, the
most productive one is planning the learning processes and assessing them.
In the opinions of Fulcher and Davidson, (2007), various conditions come out for
classroom assessment. Instead of conditions, it can be considered as situations, as it helps in
measuring the approach of the teachers towards career enhancement of the students. One of
this important situation is when the test provider develops a test within a national or
international scale. Here, the test provider is expected to ensure the appropriateness of the

8
TESTING AND EVALUATION
aim, purpose and the targeted audience. Here, score helps in determining the necessary
conditions for test and ability to make practical application of the learnt skills in tackling the
non-test situations. According to the assumptions of Hughes, reliability and validity are
important components of the test scores. This is in terms of clarifying the doubts of the
learners regarding their proper treatment in terms of career establishment. Training programs
for the teachers proves beneficial in enhancing their awareness towards consistency in rating
and criteria related to validity. Here, Fulcher and Davidson, (2007) are of the opinion that
texts, which have pedagogical purpose are placed within the category of “placement”. This is
done according to the need analysis of the learners in terms of attaining career establishment.
Within this, proficiency tests are vital within the evaluation programmes. Lesson plans are
also integral in terms of guiding the learners towards their academic establishment. As the
planning is made in alliance with the standards and protocols of the legislations, they are
known as norm-referenced statistics (Wylie & Lyon, 2015).
Conclusion
Assessments are important in terms of ensuring the extent to which the teachers have
been successful in guiding the students towards their academic establishment. According to
the traditional educational methods, formative assessment have been most preferred by the
teachers and the administrative personnel of the educational institutions. Scholarly views on
the assessment methods enhance the awareness about the approach towards attaching proper
definition to the academic establishment of the students. Intervention of the Sri Lankan
government form the base of this essay.

9
TESTING AND EVALUATION
References
Andersson, C., & Palm, T. (2017). The impact of formative assessment on student
achievement: A study of the effects of changes to classroom practice after a
comprehensive professional development programme. Learning and Instruction, 49,
92-102.
Baleni, Z. G. (2015). Online formative assessment in higher education: Its pros and
cons. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 13(4), 228-236.
Black, P. (2015). Formative assessment–an optimistic but incomplete vision. Assessment in
Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 22(1), 161-177.
Box, C., Skoog, G., & Dabbs, J. M. (2015). A case study of teacher personal practice
assessment theories and complexities of implementing formative
assessment. American Educational Research Journal, 52(5), 956-983.
Decristan, J., Klieme, E., Kunter, M., Hochweber, J., Büttner, G., Fauth, B., ... & Hardy, I.
(2015). Embedded formative assessment and classroom process quality: How do they
interact in promoting science understanding?. American Educational Research
Journal, 52(6), 1133-1159.
Dolin, J., Black, P., Harlen, W., & Tiberghien, A. (2018). Exploring Relations between
Formative and Summative Assessment. In Transforming Assessment (pp. 53-80).
Springer, Cham.
Fulcher, G. (2012). Assessment literacy for the language classroom. Language Assessment
Quarterly, 9(2), 113-132.
Fulcher, G., & Davidson, F. (2007). Language testing and assessment. London, England:
Routledge.
Furtak, E. M., Kiemer, K., Circi, R. K., Swanson, R., de León, V., Morrison, D., & Heredia,
S. C. (2016). Teachers’ formative assessment abilities and their relationship to student
learning: findings from a four-year intervention study. Instructional Science, 44(3),
267-291.

10
TESTING AND EVALUATION
Gov.lk (2018), Smart Gateway to Government of Sri Lanka, Retrieved 9th Nov 2018 from
https://www.gov.lk/index.php
Graham, S., Hebert, M., & Harris, K. R. (2015). Formative assessment and writing: A meta-
analysis. The Elementary School Journal, 115(4), 523-547.
Hooshyar, D., Ahmad, R. B., Yousefi, M., Fathi, M., Horng, S. J., & Lim, H. (2016).
Applying an online game-based formative assessment in a flowchart-based intelligent
tutoring system for improving problem-solving skills. Computers & Education, 94,
18-36.
Keeley, P. (2015). Science formative assessment, volume 1: 75 practical strategies for
linking assessment, instruction, and learning. Corwin Press.
Lau, A. M. S. (2016). ‘Formative good, summative bad?’–A review of the dichotomy in
assessment literature. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(4), 509-525.
Shirley, M. L., & Irving, K. E. (2015). Connected classroom technology facilitates multiple
components of formative assessment practice. Journal of Science Education and
Technology, 24(1), 56-68.
Strijbos, J. W., & Wichmann, A. (2018). Promoting learning by leveraging the collaborative
nature of formative peer assessment with instructional scaffolds. European Journal of
Psychology of Education, 33(1), 1-9.
Thanh Pham, T. H., & Renshaw, P. (2015). Formative assessment in Confucian heritage
culture classrooms: activity theory analysis of tensions, contradictions and hybrid
practices. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(1), 45-59.
Timmers, C. F., Walraven, A., & Veldkamp, B. P. (2015). The effect of regulation feedback
in a computer-based formative assessment on information problem
solving. Computers & education, 87, 1-9.
Tomasik, M. J., Berger, S., & Moser, U. (2018). On the Development of a Computer-Based
Tool for Formative Student Assessment: Epistemological, Methodological, and
Practical Issues. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2245.
Tsai, F. H., Tsai, C. C., & Lin, K. Y. (2015). The evaluation of different gaming modes and
feedback types on game-based formative assessment in an online learning
environment. Computers & Education, 81, 259-269.

11
TESTING AND EVALUATION
Van der Kleij, F. M., Vermeulen, J. A., Schildkamp, K., & Eggen, T. J. (2015). Integrating
data-based decision making, assessment for learning and diagnostic testing in
formative assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 22(3),
324-343.
Wiliam, D., & Thompson, M. (2017). Integrating assessment with learning: What will it take
to make it work?. In The future of assessment (pp. 53-82). Routledge.
Wongwatkit, C., Srisawasdi, N., Hwang, G. J., & Panjaburee, P. (2017). Influence of an
integrated learning diagnosis and formative assessment-based personalized web
learning approach on students learning performances and perceptions. Interactive
Learning Environments, 25(7), 889-903.
Wylie, E. C., & Lyon, C. J. (2015). The fidelity of formative assessment implementation:
issues of breadth and quality. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy &
Practice, 22(1), 140-160.
Yan, Z., & Cheng, E. C. K. (2015). Primary teachers' attitudes, intentions and practices
regarding formative assessment. Teaching and Teacher Education, 45, 128-136.