Embedding formative assessment involves planning how design and practice will be woven into instruction to support ongoing student progress.
To use formative assessment effectively, teachers need to consider both the design (planning and tailoring) and practice (how assessment and the evidence produced are used to support instruction). This ensures that formative assessment is responsive and actionable, supporting student learning in real time.
This process shows how curriculum, evidence and responsive teaching connect to improve student learning.
1. Plan the formative assessment
What does the curriculum tell you students need to learn?
Isolate the content description, keeping the relevant achievement standard in focus as the destination for learning. Consider the learning that comes before and after in the curriculum sequence to establish the entry point and confirm where the learning is heading.
2. Design the formative assessment
What type of assessment will give you the evidence you need?
Use the formative assessment design framework to select an assessment type matched to the formative focus, aim, timing and evidence. Tailor a design that is accessible, developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive to ensure all students can access and respond to the assessment.
3. Collect evidence
How will you capture and collate evidence of student learning?
Use formative assessment as a planned activity to intentionally capture evidence. Collate students' responses in ways that make progress or gaps easy to see, such as using digital tools, observation records, exit tickets or artefacts.
4. Analyse and interpret evidence
What does the evidence tell you about students’ learning?
Review the evidence against the intended learning described in the curriculum. Identify students who have demonstrated the learning, and those who are yet to. Draw inferences about individuals and the group, noting strengths, misconceptions and areas where students may need additional support.
5. Make responsive teaching decisions
How will insights from the evidence inform your next steps?
Return to the curriculum to plan the next steps that respond to students’ immediate learning needs. Adjust teaching, modify pacing and scaffold learning where needed. Consider how feedback could help students engage with and contribute to their own and others’ learning.
Embedding formative assessment design and practice into instruction
Figure 1. Five steps to embed formative assessment into instruction, from identifying key assessment points to making curriculum-informed teaching decisions.