Title: Using classroom data to give systematic feedback to students to improve learning
Headings: Using Classroom Data to Give Systematic Feedback to Students to Improve Learning
Using Classroom Data to Give Systematic Feedback to Students to Improve Learning
Teachers' Modules
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Content: More specifically, according to Black and Wiliam (2009), an assessment functions formatively to the extent that evidence about student achievement is elicited, interpreted, and used by teachers, learners, or their peers to make decisions about the next steps in instruction that are likely to be better, or better founded, than the decisions that would have been taken in the absence of that evidence. What this means is that results from almost any assessment can be used formatively, provided that they are used to improve instruction. The important point is that the sooner an instructional adjustment is made, the more effective it is in improving learning. Five key strategies
With our colleagues at the Educational Testing Service (ETS), we have identified five key strategies for assessing student learning: For each important new concept or assignment, teachers should make the learning expectations clear and share with students the criteria for successfully meeting those expectations. This need not always be done at the beginning of each session, but students should get regular reminders of where they are headed, together with summaries of progress toward these goals. Use evidence from classroom discussions, student answers and learning tasks to revise lessons and activities. Teachers can use various techniques that engage all students in discussion and use revealed evidence of student thinking and understanding as they plan future instruction. Provide feedback that clearly and explicitly identifies what needs to be improved in order to move learners forward and promote students' understanding of concepts. To best meet students' immediate learning needs, teachers should use this evidence to adapt instruction in real time
Encourage students to serve as instructional and learning resources for one another on a daily basis
Encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning
Formative feedback is essential to the assessment process as it allows teachers to collect the evidence they need to immediately address their students' learning needs.