Formative Assessment and Elementary School Student Academic Achievement: A Review of the Evidence. REL 2017-259

Formative assessment is a process that engages teachers and students in gathering, interpreting, and using evidence about what and how students are learning in order to facilitate further student learning during a short period of time. The process offers the potential to guide educator decisions about midstream adjustments to instruction that address learner needs in a timely manner. Formative assessment can be implemented in classrooms in various ways. For example, formative assessment can be quick and informal, such as giving students "I learned..." prompts to reflect on and discuss their progress toward lesson objectives. Formative assessment can also be more formal and involve multiple components, such as curriculum-based measurement, to frequently track and analyze individual student learning for the purpose of modifying instruction as warranted (Black & Wiliam, 1998a). Members of Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central's Formative Assessment Research Alliance, including principals and district administrators, indicated that teachers in the region vary widely in their understanding of formative assessment and how to use it. They wished to focus professional development efforts on formative assessment practices that have evidence of effectiveness for promoting student learning. To address this need, this review identifies studies that examine the effectiveness of formative assessment and provides an overall average estimate of its effectiveness. Alliance members also expressed concern that teachers have difficulty finding time to use formative assessment. One approach to minimizing the formative assessment burden on teachers is to involve students more actively in the process (Black & Wiliam, 1998a). This review also compares the effectiveness of different types of formative assessment, including those directed by students and those directed by other agents, such as educators and computer software programs. The review team conducted a comprehensive search to locate research on formative assessment interventions. After screening studies for relevance, researchers certified in the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards and procedures coded and rated each of 76 relevant studies using systematic, rigorous, scientific evidence standards modeled after the WWC study review process and standards (U.S. Department of Education, 2014b). The review team identified 23 studies that it determined had been conducted rigorously en