July 2021
Overview
of the FAME
Formative
Assessment
Process
This document was created by Tara Kintz, in collaboration with the Michigan Department
of Education (Kim Young) and fellow members of the Michigan Assessment Consortium
FAME Research & Development Team (John Lane and Ed Roeber), for use in the Formative
Assessment for Michigan Educators Professional Learning Program.
Cite as: Kintz, T., Young, K., Roeber, E., & Lane, J. Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment
Process. (2021). Lansing, MI: Michigan Department of Education.
This Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
by the Michigan Department of Education. Permissions beyond the scope of this license
may be available at www.famemichigan.org.
2021
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
i
2021
Table of Contents
Introduction to this Resource ............................................... 1
The Formative Assessment Process Defined .............................. 1
Impact of the Formative Assessment Process ............................ 2
Formative Assessment for Michigan Educator Program............................ 2
Work of FAME Coach and Learning Teams .............................. 2
Joining FAME .................................................... 3
FAME Components and Elements ........................................... 3
Three Guiding Questions............................................ 3
FAME Components ............................................... 3
FAME Elements .................................................. 4
Learning to Use the Formative Assessment Process............................... 6
Teacher Dispositions, Knowledge, and Skills ............................. 6
Student Agency .................................................. 7
Supportive Classroom Culture ....................................... 8
FAME Element Learning Points.............................................. 8
Component 1 – Planning ........................................... 9
Component 2 – Learning Target Use .................................. 13
Component 3 – Eliciting Evidence of Student Understanding ............... 21
Component 4 – Formative Feedback ................................. 31
Component 5 – Instructional and Learning Decisions ..................... 39
Closing .............................................................. 45
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the Formative Assessment Process ..... 46
References............................................................ 48
iv
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
“Formative assessment
is a planned, ongoing
process used by all
students and teachers
during learning and
teaching to elicit and
use evidence of student
learning to improve
student understanding
of intended disciplinary
learning outcomes
and support students
to become more self-
directed learners.”
CCSSO FAST SCASS, 2018
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Introduction to this Resource
Educators are increasingly interested in learning more about the formative assessment
process, since it is highlighted in many school instructional improvement efforts, and the
research-based benefits for student learning outcomes are becoming more widely known.
However, there are also many misconceptions and different ideas about what formative
assessment is and isn’t, as well as how to best implement the necessary changes in
instructional practice. This Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process has been
developed to provide more clarity for educators and administrators about the formative
assessment process. It is our hope that it encourages each reader to choose to learn more
about and learn to use the formative assessment process.
This resource includes a definition and other information about the formative assessment
process, a description of the Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME)
program, and access to a collection of FAME Learning Points about each element of the
FAME formative assessment process. A word of caution at the outset: the successful
implementation of the formative assessment process does not come from just reading
or thinking about it. Instead, it comes from working over time to examine and reflect on
current instructional practices and how these can be adjusted.
An important way that this can occur is working collaboratively with colleagues to examine
and reflect on each other’s instructional practices, an opportunity that the FAME program
has afforded for more than a decade. This resource was developed as part of the Formative
Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program. This resource, ultimately, is designed to
highlight the value and benefit of being part of the FAME program to support your learning
about the formative assessment process.
The Formative Assessment Process Defined
While formative assessment has been defined in different ways in many books and articles,
some which even conflate the formative assessment process with “formative assessments”
(more accurately described as interim/benchmark tests), the FAME program uses this
definition:
“Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students
and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of
student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary
learning outcomes and support students to become more self-directed
learners.” (CCSSO SCASS FAST, 2018)
This definition offers a number of important clues about how the formative assessment
process works:
• Educators must carefully plan to embed the formative assessment process in daily
classroom instruction.
• It is an ongoing process used daily during instruction and learning.
• The focus is on student learning, and
• Students must be active, engaged learners.
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
• Students work with their teacher(s) to identify areas of strength and areas in need
of improvement.
• Feedback, provided by teachers and students themselves through self- and peer
assessment, presents students with the opportunity to demonstrate their learning
and work towards intended goals.
Impact of the Formative Assessment Process
Use of the formative assessment process has been shown to improve student learning (Black
& Wiliam, 1998) and student involvement (Brookhart, 2013). Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam
(1998a; 1998b) demonstrated the impact of thoughtful classroom assessment on student
learning and achievement, especially for low-achieving students. Formative assessment
can also help teachers to be more reflective about students’ understandings (Furtak,
2012) and more likely to support students in identifying barriers to learning (Marshall &
Drummond, 2006). There is a consensus on the active role teachers and students must play
in understanding students’ current thinking and understanding and moving instruction
and student learning toward clear learning goals in the research literature on formative
assessment.
Formative Assessment for
Michigan Educator Program
The Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program is a statewide
professional learning program designed to support teacher learning about and use of
the formative assessment process. The overarching goal of the FAME program is to help
educators learn about and use the formative assessment process in classroom instruction.
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) conducts FAME workshops and provides
other services for educators to help them develop school-based Learning Teams. The
program provides resources on formative assessment research, theory, and practice to
promote teachers’ capacity to reflect on, implement, and refine their instructional and
assessment practices in the classroom. To achieve these goals, FAME provides support to
Learning Teams in which a group of educators and a Coach work collaboratively to learn
about and practice the formative assessment process in local contexts.
Work of FAME Coach and Learning Teams
New Learning Teams form every year and engage in learning and implementing the
formative assessment process over the course of several school years. The multi-year learning
process is essential for participants to go beyond “head knowledge” to reflection and
enhancements of their instructional practices. Such instructional changes typically take two
or more years to be able to learn to use effectively on an on-going basis.
To begin the first year, new Learning Teams attend a full-day professional learning session
known as the “Launching into Learning,” where they will learn more about the FAME
program and the formative assessment process. Once they have attended the Launch,
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Learning Teams begin to meet regularly to engage in collaborative inquiry about how the
formative assessment process can best be enacted in Team members’ classrooms. Most
Learning Teams meet monthly on their own schedule for one to three hours, and continue
their learning over the next two years or more. Typically, Learning Teams use the resources
that the FAME program provides while at the same time setting the course for learning that
benefits the members of the Learning Team most.
Joining FAME
More information on the FAME project is available online.
MDE Formative Assessment Process page: www.michigan.gov/formativeassessment
FAME public webpage: FAMEMichigan.org
Contact Kimberly Young, MDE/Office of Educational Assessment and Accountability (OEAA),
at [email protected] or 517-241-7061 to request and complete a New FAME Coach
application.
FAME Components and Elements
Three Guiding Questions
Research by Sadler (1989) and by Hattie and Timperley (2007), along with a literature review
by Gotwals et al. (forthcoming), indicate that the main formative assessment practices may
be characterized into three large, observable formative assessment-practice dimensions
structured around three guiding questions that teachers and students should ask themselves
as they move through the learning process:
1. Where are we (teacher and students) going?
Use of learning targets and goal setting
2. What does the student understand now?
Evidence of student understanding
3. How do we (teacher and students) get to the learning target?
Closing the gap/responding to students
FAME Components
The content and structure of the FAME program is outlined by five Components of formative
assessment practice, building on the three guiding questions above:
• Instructional Planning
• Learning Target Use
• Eliciting Evidence of Student Understanding
• Formative Feedback
• Instructional and Learning Decisions
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAME Elements
Each FAME Component includes one or more Elements that provide greater specificity on
the formative assessment process. Table 1 outlines the five Components and provides a brief
description of each Element of the FAME program, framed by the three guiding questions.
Table 1: FAME Components and Elements
Guiding
Questions
FAME Components and Elements
Where are we
(teacher and
students) going?
Planning
1.1—Instructional Planning: planning based on knowledge of the content,
standards, pedagogy, formative assessment process, and students.
Learning Target Use
2.1—Designing Learning Targets: the use and communication of daily
instructional aims with the students
2.2—Learning Progressions: connection of the learning target to past
and future learning
2.3—Models of Proficient Achievement: examples of successful work
for students to use as a guide.
What does
the student
understand now?
Eliciting Evidence of Student Understanding
3.1—Activating Prior Knowledge: the opportunity for students to self-
assess or connect new ideas to their prior knowledge
3.2—Gathering Evidence of Student Understanding: use of a variety
of tools and strategies to gather information about student
thinking and understanding regarding the learning targets from
all students
3.3—Teacher Questioning Strategies: the intentional use of questions
for students to explain their thinking or to connect their idea to
another student’s response
3.4—Skillful Use of Questions: a focus on the purpose, timing, and
audience for questions to deliver content and to check students’
understanding
How do we
(teacher and
students) get
to the learning
target?
Formative Feedback
4.1—Feedback from the Teacher: verbal or written feedback to a
student to improve his or her achievement of the learning target
4.2—Feedback from Peers: feedback from one student to another
student about his or her learning in relation to a learning target
4.3—Student Self-Assessment: the process in which students gather
information and reflect on their own learning in relation to the
learning goal.
Instructional and Learning Decisions
5.1—Adjustments to Teaching: teachers’ daily decisions about changes
to instruction
5.2—Adjustments to Learning: students’ use of feedback for
improvement.
Source: FAME Learning Guide, 2018
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Figure 1: The Formative Assessment Process
In FAME, each Element of the formative assessment process is connected to others. They
are presented in pages 9 – 44 in separate FAME Learning Point documents for the sake of
understanding. Although the Elements can be reviewed separately, it is essential that they are
used together as part of a unified formative assessment process, since they build upon and
reinforce one another.
Therefore, we recommend reviewing all of the FAME Learning Points to develop an
overall understanding of the formative assessment process, and then exploring additional
resources and professional learning opportunities to study certain components to deepen
understanding. Teachers may also want to enlist their colleagues in learning about the
formative assessment process by forming a FAME Learning Team!
This Overview provides detailed information on each of these Components and Elements.
Formative
Feedback
O
n
-
g
o
i
n
g
A
n
a
l
y
s
i
s
o
f
I
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
i
o
n
a
n
d
L
e
a
r
n
i
n
g
Learning
Target
Use
Student
Increased Student Motivation and Learning
P
l
a
n
n
i
n
g
Eliciting
Evidence of
Student
Learning
Instructional
& Learning
Decisions
Formative Assessment Guiding Questions:
Where are we going? What does the student How do we get to
understand now? the learning target?
Source: Formative Assessment
for Michigan Educators (FAME)
https://FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Learning to Use the Formative
Assessment Process
As mentioned earlier, educators working together on learning teams, such as FAME Learning
Teams, is a key to providing the support that teachers need to learn to effectively use these
new instructional practices, and thus, implement the formative assessment process well. This
is the reason why participation in the FAME program is stressed. Research has found that the
focus of the conversation in teacher professional learning communities matters in building
knowledge (Popp & Goldman, 2016). When teachers discuss their assessment practices in
meetings, they show more knowledge-building than when teachers review their instruction
on their own. Even in discussions focused on isolated formative assessment instructional
practices, it is important for educators to work together to understand the connections to
the formative assessment process. Educators will benefit from opportunities to learn about
and discuss these materials in communities of practice.
Teacher Dispositions, Knowledge, and Skills
Specific dispositions, knowledge, and skills are important as a teacher implements the
formative assessment process. Teachers develop knowledge over time, and their knowledge
in different areas is used as they make a myriad of instructional decisions throughout the
day. A number of key areas of knowledge are highlighted below.
• Formative Assessment Process Knowledge — Teachers need to know about
the components and elements of the formative assessment process, and how they
work together, so they can integrate these strategies through planning and delivery
of instruction. Teachers must know how to align the formative assessment process
with instructional goals so that they can maximize the opportunities to gather and
use evidence of student understanding to inform subsequent instruction.
• Disciplinary Content Knowledge — Deep understanding of the content of the
discipline is integral to the formative assessment process. The connection between
the two is critical to support student learning. Understanding learning progressions
or multiple paths of student learning between and within the standards is essential
to the formative assessment process.
• Pedagogical Knowledge — In addition to content knowledge, teachers need
to develop familiarity with multiple methods of teaching, the instructional moves
necessary to adapt instruction to student learning, and the ability to identify
which teaching model is appropriate for a given purpose. Competence in different
instructional strategies that address diverse student needs is also essential to help
students close the gap between their current status and learning goals in a specific
content area.
• Knowledge of the Students — To effectively plan and adapt instruction to
student learning, teachers also need to have considerable knowledge about the
students and their previous learning. This includes levels of student prior knowledge,
skills, and understanding of concepts in a particular content area. In addition,
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
teachers must know students’ levels of metacognitive and self-regulation skills, and
students’ individual attitudes about learning, themselves, and the subject (Harlen,
2006). An awareness of other factors about the student such as level of language
proficiency and specific social, emotional, physical, and learning needs is also
important. Additional resources should be referenced to assist the teacher to plan
and deliver teaching and learning aligned with the formative assessment process for
all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, academically at-risk
students, and gifted/talented students.
Student Agency
While teacher understanding of the formative assessment process is critical, the focus
on students in the formative assessment process is also important. Observations and
conversations about teaching and learning should ultimately look at what students
say and are able to do. Are they engaged in taking ownership for their learning? Can
they describe the learning targets in their own words and explain their current level of
understanding in relation to the learning targets? There are also a number of ways the
teacher can further involve the student in the formative assessment process to explicitly
teach the student skills and practices as the students develop greater ownership and
responsibility in the learning process.
Student agency and student self-regulation are important in learning and assessment:
A. Student agency refers to students taking ownership for their own learning.
Students determine whether and how hard to work in learning, assess where they
are in their learning, and use the self-assessment information to achieve at higher
levels.
B. Student self-regulation refers to students who can determine where they are
on the trajectory of learning, determine what is needed to continue learning,
and have the motivation to keep learning, even when they are struggling to
understand. This is a useful life-long skill.
C. Increasing student agency and self-regulation are primary goals of the formative
assessment process.
In the formative assessment process, students take increasing responsibility and ownership
of their learning. They develop awareness of their current levels of knowledge and skill and
look at what they may need to do to master the learning content. Students are not asked to
judge and evaluate their work. Instead, students are taught how to inquire, reflect on, and
provide feedback to themselves and their peers that will help them improve. This leads to
very different behavior and involvement from the students. They are not just completing the
work, trying to figure out the right answer for the teacher, or striving to get good grades;
they are actively involved in thinking and developing understanding of the content and their
learning processes.
Student agency and self-regulation are an essential part of learning to use the formative
assessment process and is emphasized in the FAME program
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Supportive Classroom Culture
A supportive classroom culture is key to the effective implementation of the formative
assessment process. This begins with a climate of trust in which students’ ideas and
questions are valued. Students benefit from understanding that their thinking is important,
that understanding the content is more important than getting the right answers on a test,
and that they have important ideas to contribute to one another.
Students are most successful with formative assessment when they have a sense of
ownership and responsibility for their learning, such as when the teacher and the students
co-construct the learning targets and success criteria. Teachers can begin with small
opportunities and build the sense of ownership and supportive classroom culture over time.
As students engage in formative assessment, a supportive classroom culture is also enforced.
Some aspects of the formative assessment process may create new experiences for students
as well as their teachers. In the formative assessment process, students can assume
the role of co-investigator into their learning of specific academic content. They can be
actively engaged in accessing prior related learning, expressing their knowledge about
content, thinking about their current level of understanding, responding to teacher and
peer feedback, and taking purposeful next steps in their learning. Because this new role is
unlikely to come naturally for students, teachers will need to intentionally build classroom
environments that support student development as formative learners. Participation in the
FAME program can assist teachers in developing classroom environments that can best
support students as formative learners.
FAME Element Learning Points
The three guiding questions, five FAME Components, and 13 FAME Elements provide
a continuum for how teachers may develop their practice to implement the formative
assessment process in their classrooms. Given that educators may be at varying places
in their understanding of the formative assessment process, this resource can be used to
support individual learning or collaborative work.
Teachers can benefit from trying out new ideas in one or two areas initially, and then build
on these over time. Students can also benefit from learning about the formative assessment
process and the change in their role as a learner.
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Component 1 – Planning
Planning is a fundamental component of the formative assessment process. Planning
for formative assessment needs to be purposely integrated into ongoing instructional
planning. While there are many different aspects of planning for formative assessment, the
intentionality of advanced planning for the use of the formative assessment process is key.
Planning is the act of consciously mapping out when, why, and how all aspects of the
formative assessment process will occur during a lesson, a series of lessons, a unit, or even a
school year. Planning includes both when to employ elements of the formative assessment
process, and what to do to move student learning ahead given the range of where students
may be in their understanding when checked by the teacher.
In the formative assessment process, planning includes the knowledge of tools and strategies
that may be used in both formal (planned) and informal (in the moment) assessment and
interactions to gather evidence and inform instruction (Cowie & Bell, 2001). The formative
assessment process involves intentional planning as well as predicting and being prepared
for what might happen in a lesson.
The Instructional Planning Component includes one Element:
1.1 Instructional Planning is planning based on knowledge of the content,
standards, pedagogy, formative assessment process, and students.
“The formative assessment
process involves intentional
planning as well as predicting
and being prepared for what
might happen in a lesson.”
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
© November 2018 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
Planning: what role does it play in the formative
assessment process?
Effective instructional planning in
the formative assessment process is
informed by the teacher’s knowledge
about what students already know
and can do. The teacher then inten-
tionally plans the steps in his or her
lesson based on:
n a target for learning,
n instruction to be provided,
n when and how evidence of student
learning will be gathered.
n how this evidence will be analyzed,
and
n what types of change in instruc-
tion and student learning might
be necessary, depending on what
the evidence of student learning
might show
The teacher also must plan for the
student’s role in the learning process,
such as how students will be involved
in understanding the learning target,
student self- and peer assessment,
and helping students to make adjust-
ments to learning.
Planning in the formative assessment
process includes the knowledge of
tools and strategies that may be used
in both formal (planned) and informal
(in the moment) assessment and
interactions to gather evidence and
inform instruction (e.g., Cowie & Bell,
2001). Thus, planning is an import-
ant, often overlooked step in inten-
tionally preparing for all elements of
the formative assessment process
and anticipating what might happen
in a lesson.
Planning dened
As outlined above, instructional
planning in the formative assessment
process can be described as system-
atically preparing for teaching and
learning, including the identication
of instructional targets, instructional
methods, and the systematic and
ongoing evaluation and management
of the instructional and assessment
processes.
“I used to jump right into a lesson
without really knowing how I would
know what students learned and
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know
and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–146.
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
ALN Learning Point: What constitutes a high-quality,
comprehensive, balanced assessment system.
Michigan Assessment Consortium (2016)
http://bit.ly/BalancedSystem
Learning Point: What do we mean by Formative
Assessment?
Michigan Assessment Consortium (2017)
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
To learn more
“A planned process:
formative assess-
ment involves a
series of carefully
considered,
distinguishable
acts on the part of
teachers or
students, or both.”
–W. James Popham
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
Developing prociency with
instructional planning
in the formative assessment process
Teachers seeking to develop com-
petence with instructional planning
must focus on several key aspects of
planning:
l when or how evidence of
student learning will be
obtained
l different levels of student
understanding that might be
shown, and
l how the lesson might change as
a result of evidence of student
understanding.
This planning includes anticipating
various ways students might respond
to the lesson and how to proceed
if learning does not progress as
planned. It also requires knowledge
of tools and strategies that can be
planned in advance or used in the
moment as needed. Finally,
becoming procient with planning
enables the teacher to become more
explicit about making connections
with past and future learning goals
for students.
A list of indicators of successful prac-
tice are shown in Figure 2 for teach-
ers to use as they develop prociency
with instructional planning.
Figure 2: Indicators of Successful Practice for Instructional Planning in the Formative
Assessment Process
Indicators of successful practice
The indicators of successful practice outline the key aspects of
planning in the formative assessment process. They can be used for
self-assessment and to set goals as a teacher develops prociency
with instructional planning in the formative assessment process.
o The teacher intentionally plans in advance.
o The teacher’s planning reects formative assessment process
knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and
knowledge of students.
o Planning includes when and how evidence of student learning
will be obtained and used.
o The teacher plans for when student learning does not progress
as planned.
o Students are able to build knowledge over time.
Figure 1: Formative Assessment Planning and Recording Form
didn’t learn. One of the areas I’ve
been working on is planning my
assessment map for each unit or
series of lessons. This allows me to
be more organized and understand
what assessment data can be used
formatively.” – 4th grade teacher
Instructional planning tools
The formative assessment process
includes various components and
elements that are interconnected to
support student learning. Intentional
planning is key for a teacher to en-
sure the students understand:
n the target for their learning
n the criteria for meeting that
target, and
n ways to receive support when
needed.
A planning template, such as the In-
structional Planning Recording Form
shown in Figure 1, can be a useful
tool to help teachers think through
the various components of formative
assessment when planning.
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
NOTES
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Component 2 – Learning Target Use
In using learning targets, the teacher is clear about what students are to learn and has
shown students what constitutes acceptable performance. Learning Target Use is critical for
students to respond to the guiding question: Where am I going?
This component of the formative assessment process provides both the teacher and students
with a clear understanding to guide the next steps of learning. It enables students to
understand what they need to learn and how they are going to get there.
Students must first understand the learning target before they are able to participate in
other aspects of the formative assessment process, such as peer and self-assessment or the
use of feedback to gauge their progress and make adjustments to learning. Many experts in
the field agree that one of the most important things for students to learn is the intention
of the lesson, the content they will learn, why they are learning the content, the depth of
understanding to which they need to learn it, and how to demonstrate their new learning
(Moss & Brookhart, 2009; Seidle, Rimmele, & Prenzel, 2005; Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, &
Chappuis, 2009).
The Learning Target Use Component includes three Elements:
2.1 Designing Learning Targets helps the teacher and students become clear
about the aim(s) for the daily lesson.
2.2 Learning Progressions help the teacher and students make connections
between past, current, and future learning targets in a trajectory of learning.
2.3 Models of Proficient Achievement ensure students have a clear understanding
of what successful work looks like so that they have a model to work towards.
“This component of the
formative assessment
process enables students to
understand what they need
to learn and how they are
going to get there.”
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
© January 2019 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What are learning targets?
Why are they important in the formative assessment process?
Learning targets written in stu-
dent-friendly language are used to
help students understand what they
are learning and how to reach the
target. They describe what success
looks like once the target is reached.
When learning targets are connected
to past and future learning, they can
also help students to understand the
planned sequence of instruction.
Within the Formative Assessment for
Michigan Educator (FAME) program,
the “Learning Target Use” component
supports teachers in the use of learn-
ing targets. Teachers become clear
about what students are to learn, and
they show students what constitutes
acceptable performance. The use
of learning targets is critical for the
students to respond to the guiding
question: Where am I going?
This component of the FAME pro-
gram provides both the teacher and
students with a clear understanding
to guide the next step of learning. It
enables students to understand what
they need to learn and how they are
going to get there.
Why are learning targets
important?
Learning is positively impacted when
students understand the intended
purpose of a lesson. Overall, learn-
ing targets play a central role in
effective teaching and meaningful
learning to raise student achievement
through the formative assessment
process (Brookhart, Moss, & Long,
2011; Moss & Brookhart, 2009). The
teacher and students are guided by
learning targets as they work together
in the formative assessment process
to collect and interpret evidence of
student understanding to improve
learning outcomes.
Students must rst understand the
learning target before they are able
to participate in other aspects of
the formative assessment process.
Many experts in the eld agree that
one of the most important things for
students to learn is the intention of
the lesson, including the content they
will learn, why they are learning the
content, the depth of understanding
to which they need to learn it, and
how to demonstrate their new learn-
ing (Moss & Brookhart, 2009; Seidle,
Rimmele, & Prenzel, 2005; Stiggins,
Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2009).
Learning targets dened
Learning targets are student-friendly
descriptions of the knowledge, skills,
and reasoning that students need to
learn or accomplish in a given lesson.
Learning targets can be thought of
as lesson-sized chunks of knowledge
and skills that lead to broader learn-
ing goals for students (Leahy, Lyon,
Thompson, & William, 2005). Embed
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–146.
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
What do we mean by formative assessment?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
What are learning progressions?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2018).
https://bit.ly/LP-Progressions
Learning targets: How students aim for understanding in today’s lesson
Connie M. Moss and Susn M. Brookhart. (ASCD, 2012)
http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Learning-Targets.aspx
To learn more
FAMEMichigan.org
15
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
Learning targets and
success criteria
The formative assessment process
must be rooted in the subject matter
disciplines. The description of what
students will learn, or the learning
target, is developed based on state-
or district-level content standards
and the instructional objective(s) for
a lesson.
A learning target is specic to a les-
son and describes a unique learning
intention. To clarify—a lesson can last
45 minutes or it can occur over sever-
al class periods. The teacher shares
the learning targets with students
Figure 1: Indicators of Successful Practice for Learning Target Use in the
Formative Assessment Process
INDICATORS OF SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE
The indicators of successful practice outline the key aspects of Learning
Target Use in the formative assessment process. They can be used for
self-assessment and to set goals as a teacher develops prociency with
instructional planning in the formative assessment process.
n The teacher prepares content for the learning target in advance of
the lesson.
n The learning target for the lesson focuses on concepts/skills from
content/grade level standards.
n The learning target uses student-friendly language.
n The learning target is connected to the instructional activities/
performance of understanding.
n Use of learning targets reects formative assessment process
knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and
knowledge of students.
n The teacher clearly communicates the learning target to the students
at the beginning of the lesson and makes connections to past and
future learning.
n The teacher explains the knowledge and skills needed to accomplish
the learning target.
n The teacher references the learning target throughout the lesson and
gathers evidence of student understanding of the target.
Teacher’s instructional
practice
Learning targets guide a teacher’s
instructional decisions and formative
assessment practices. Designing
learning targets includes the following
elements*:
1. Description of what students will
learn (also known as a learning
target or learning target
statement)
2. Learning experiences students
will engage in to demonstrate
their attainment of the new
knowledge and skills (this is
often referred to as performance
task or performance of
understanding)
3. Criteria so that students know
they have reached the learning
target (also referred to as
success criteria)
4. Connection of the lesson to
previous and future learning
experiences and targets (see
ALN Learning Point on Learning
Progressions) so students under-
stand why they are learning what
they are learning and what learn-
ing will follow the current lesson
5. Instruction of the lesson-sized
chunk of knowledge and skills
to students
ding learning targets in instruction
involves intentional planning and
implementation as well as a clear pur-
pose for instruction.
consistently and intentionally and
delivers instruction so that students
are clear on what they will be able to
do at the end of the lesson.
The discussion of the knowledge and
skills needed to achieve the learning
target is shared in the form of suc-
cess criteria. Success criteria provide
a specic and concrete understand-
ing of what it looks like to reach the
learning target, which guides both
instruction and assessment. A variety
of formats from lists to rubrics can be
used to share the success criteria.
The learning target denes the
intended learning, and the success
criteria are the arrows that help
the learner achieve the target and
demonstrate mastery.
Success criteria communicate the
performances of learning that help
the teacher and student know when
students have achieved the learning
target, when they have made some
progress, and when they have more
learning to do. Success criteria are
clear, closely linked to the learning
target, and focus on the learning.
They are communicated from the stu-
dents’ perspective and illustrate the
expected learning. Together, learning
targets and success criteria support
rich, productive learning experiences.
A teacher will develop prociency with
learning target use over time. The
indicators listed in Figure 1 can help
teachers identify their current level
of practice and next steps as they
develop prociency.
* Formative assessment professional learning opportunities such as the Michigan Department of
Education’s FAME Project, provides further description of the teachers’ instructional practice in the
program materials.
16
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING POINT
© May 2018 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What are learning progressions?
How can they support student learning in the classroom?
What are learning progressions?
Learning progressions describe a path
of increasing sophistication in student
understanding in a subject matter do-
main. Learning progressions have been
dened as the typical developmental
sequence of skills and knowledge in a
subject area over a span of time, based
on research-conjectured hypotheses and
validation studies. There are variations in
the learning progressions that have been
developed, however. Different types of
learning progressions can be useful for
different purposes.
While some types of learning progressions
can inform standards and large-scale
assessments, other types may be more
helpful for teachers to support day-to-day
student learning in the classroom (Alonzo
& Steedle, 2009; Gotwals, 2012, 2017;
Lehrer & Schauble, 2015). Specically, it
is important to consider the scope of the
learning progression, which includes the
amount of content and instructional time.
In addition, the grain size of the learning
progression, or the level of detail about
the incremental changes in student think-
ing, is key to support student learning in
the classroom (Alonzo, 2012; Mohan &
Plummer, 2012).
Learning progressions and
formative assessment
For the purposes of formative assess-
ment, one way teachers can use learning
progressions is to describe a series of
incremental changes that occur in a stu-
dent’s thinking and skills that leads from
achievement of one standard to the next
in a subject matter domain. Along this
pathway, there is a sequence of learning
where the concepts or skills develop and
deepen over time. This type of learning
progression includes a series of building
blocks that can be used to determine
lesson-sized “chunks” of learning so that
students’ thinking and/or skills develop
over time on the way to meeting a
standard. Figure 1 shows an example of
one set of building blocks for a standard
for all students. Teachers may develop
slightly different building blocks as need-
ed by students at different levels
of understanding.
Learning progressions
include multiple building
blocks
Content standards are usually
substantive and too big for daily lesson
planning. To plan for instruction and the
formative assessment process, teachers
need to describe the intermediate steps
that occur in each student’s thinking and
ability as he or she advances in his or
her learning from one standard to the
next. These steps or series of changes
can be thought of as “Building Blocks”
(Tobiason, Chang, Heritage, & Jones,
2014). To identify a Building Block, a
teacher can think about the learning
steps that a student needs to take along a
pathway to achieve a standard. Then, the
teacher can use each Building Block to
develop the related learning target(s) and
success criteria. Together the Building
Blocks, or learning steps, can be a form of
learning progression.
How do building blocks make
up a learning progression?
Building Blocks should connect to each
other. They are a connected progression,
not discrete or isolated instances of
learning.
When teachers clarify the learning pro-
gression by outlining the Building Blocks
necessary to achieve a standard, teachers
are better equipped to determine the as-
sociated learning targets and success cri-
teria for instruction. In addition, students
will better understand how their learning
may progress. Teachers also are better
prepared to address misconceptions in
student understanding— an important
part of the formative assessment process.
Not all students follow the
same path
Learning progressions describe “typical”
learning paths. There can be outliers, and
different ways in which students progress.
n Building Blocks, Learning Goals, and Success Criteria: Planning
Instruction and Formative Assessment for K-8 Math Standards. From the
College and Career Ready Standards to Teaching and Learning in the
Classroom: A Series of Resources for Teachers. Center on Standards and
Assessments Implementation. Tobiason, G., Chang, S., Heritage, M., Jones,
B., & Herman, J. (2014).
https://csaa.wested.org/resources
n Building Blocks, Learning Goals, and Success Criteria: Planning Instruction
and Formative Assessment for K-12 English Language Arts and Literacy
Standards. From the College and Career Ready Standards to Teaching and
Learning in the Classroom: A Series of Resources for Teachers. Center on
Standards and Assessments Implementation. Lozano, M., Mancevice, N.,
Jones, B., Heritage, M., Chang, S., & Tobiason, G. (2013).
https://csaa.wested.org/resources
n Enhanced Learning Maps: Insights for Instruction. The path to achievement
is not linear. Center for Assessment and Accountability Research and Design,
The University of Kansas.
https://enhancedlearningmaps.org
n Formative Assessment: What Do Teachers Need to Know and Do?
Margaret Heritage, Kappan, 2007, https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
To learn more
FAMEMichigan.org
17
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
There is not one path that all students
will always follow in their learning. Due
to differences in students’ prior knowl-
edge, experience, and skill, there will be
differences as they work through these
changes in understanding from the end of
one standard to the next. Thus, students
may follow different learning paths and
take different amounts of time as they
progress in their learning.
How do learning progres-
sions support quality
teaching and learning?
When the teacher thinks of learning
targets for a lesson as part of a broader
trajectory of learning and presents this
sequence to students, it helps to commu-
nicate the purpose of learning this partic-
ular knowledge and skill, at this particular
time, in this particular way. Teachers can
clarify to students how this learning will
build on past learning toward a broader
learning goal.
Awareness of different learning paths
helps the teacher to:
n understand how to connect the
learning target for a given lesson to
previous and future learning
n identify specic concepts and skills
for student learning
n determine learning targets and
success criteria
n connect instruction to learning goals
n collect relevant evidence of student
understanding
n provide feedback to students about
the next step in their learning
n identify and address individual
student learning needs
Summary
Learning progressions are an important
tool in the formative assessment process
to help teachers and students connect
prior knowledge to new learning as they
move from less sophisticated to more
sophisticated understandings.
n The teacher asks, “What steps do
students need to make along the
pathway of learning this standard?”
n A guiding question for the student
is, “Now that I know X, what do I
need to learn next to achieve
the standard?”
Learning progressions can help teachers
and students to make connections to
the broader purpose of learning. In turn,
students are able to take on greater own-
ership and become more active partners
in their learning.
Figure 1: Example of a series of building blocks that compose a learning progression
Standard: Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 X 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For
example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 X 7 (CCSS Math Content 3. OA).
Building Blocks Learning Goal Success Criteria
of a Standard (Learning Target)
Block 1
Practice repeated addi-
tion of objects arranged
in rectangular arrays with
progressively more rows
and columns (beyond 5
rows and 5 columns).
EX 7+7+7+7 and
2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2
Block 2
Move between symbolic
(2+2+2+2) and concrete
(four groups of 2 objects)
representations of the
same repeated addition
number sentence.
Block 3
Describe repeated
addition like 2+2+2+2
as “the number 2, added
four times,” and then,
“four times 2.”
Understand that a row
in an array tells how
many in the group and
the column tells how
many groups
Understand that
repeated addition can
be represented with a
number sentence or with
a concrete representa-
tion (e.g., manipulatives
arranged in an array).
Recognize the structure
of repeated addition and
understand that repeated
addition can be expressed
as the number of times a
number repeats.
Count the number in a group and the number of groups.
Explain what happens when one more row and one more column are
added to the array.
Write a number sentence from a given concrete representation
of repeated addition.
Explain the correspondence between their number sentence and
the given representation.
Correctly model a given number sentence about repeated addition
with a concrete representation.
Explain the correspondence between their concrete representation
and the given number sentence.
Create accurate number sentences using repeated addition,
from a given set of objects.
Make a pictorial representation of their number sentence.
Describe the number of repeats in a concrete representation
(e.g., “I have 6 repeats of this set of 3 things”).
Correctly and precisely use the vocabulary “times” to express the
number of repeats.
*See the cited reference for the complete list of Building Blocks for this standard.
FAMEMichigan.org
18
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
© April 2019 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
Models of procient achievement:
Why are they important?
“
We may need to
teach less in order for
the students to learn
more. Teach less
more carefully, and
discuss it with our
students. We need to
clarify the purpose
and expected
outcomes of the tasks
we design for
students, and give
them specic, clear
and constructive
feedback, and the
chance to use that
feedback to improve
their own work.
“
(Sutton, 2000)
A key element of the formative as-
sessment process, models of pro-
cient achievement provide concrete
examples of the desired product or
performance for a learning target.
These models show students the
qualities of student work that consti-
tute successful performance related
to a specic assignment. They are
aligned to the learning target in order
for the student to address the guiding
question: Where am I going?
Such models provide clarity to
students about what meeting the
learning target entails. Models of
procient achievement provide a way
to communicate success criteria to
students. Success criteria also can be
communicated to students through
worked examples, rubrics, and check-
lists. Models provide both the teacher
and students with a clear example to
guide work toward the learning target.
Student involvement in using models
of procient achievement can support
reection, self-assessment, and
self-regulated learning.
Models of procient
achievement dened
Models of procient achievement
(also known as exemplars) are exam-
ples of successful demonstration of
learning through a product or perfor-
mance. They are tools teachers and
students use to identify what consti-
tutes successful achievement of a
learning target. Models of procient
achievement can be used to give
students a clear understanding of
what excellent work (as well as work
“on the way to excellent work”) can
look like and provide opportunities for
students to improve.
It is important to note that models
of procient achievement may not
always be possible or appropriate
for certain lessons. They also differ
depending upon the grade level and
content area. In a variety of different
ways, models of procient achieve-
ment provide an important guidepost
for students to understand what
constitutes successful work.
Applications to practice
Initially, the teacher may develop the
models of procient achievement, but
over time, the teacher may be able
to select examples of actual student
work. Teachers and students can
review a model of procient achieve-
ment to identify the success criteria
for the the learning target. Engaging
students in this criteria-setting pro-
cess helps them more deeply under-
stand the success criteria, and in the
end, take ownership of their work. It
also provides important information
on what students do and do not know
about a particular target. Overall,
students can use the models of
FAMEMichigan.org
19
2021
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
Reference
Year 8 and year 9: Overcoming the
muddle in the middle. Ruth Sutton.
(Ruth Suton Publications, 2000)
procient achievement to guide their
independent work.
During instruction, teachers can use
models of procient achievement to
engage students in thinking about
the learning target and what success
might look like in a variety of ways.
The teacher can present different
models of procient achievement,
and have the student generate a list
of the qualities and characteristics of
the work that make it a model.
Teachers can also have students
use a rubric to assess a model of
procient achievement to deepen
their understanding of the criteria for
success. Following the completion of
an assignment, teachers can provide
examples or models at various levels
of achievement for students to use
to review their own work and assess
their current level of understanding
or skill and what may be needed to
move to the next level.
Teachers can gain greater insights
into students’ understanding of the
learning target as students list criteria
or elements of successful work from a
model. Teachers can also identify and
address student misunderstandings.
Ultimately, formative assessment
must be embedded in the discipline
in which it is carried out, and models
of procient achievement provide
clear examples of prociency in spe-
cic content areas.
As teachers involve students in the
use of models of procient achieve-
ment in various subject areas,
they can:
n Analyze models of procient
achievement on a writing activity
and develop a list of criteria of
effective aspects of the work.
n Examine worked mathematical
problems and compare the work to
a rubric or checklist.
n View a social studies presentation
and list specic indicators of
quality and success.
n Review a range of models at
different levels of achievement on
a science assignment to determine
the student’s current level of
performance and next steps
in learning.
Summary
Teachers often begin by focusing on
one element of the formative assess-
ment process and then build compe-
tence over time. The teacher inten-
tionally plans instruction based on
clear understanding of what he or she
wants the students to learn within a
progression of learning. The teacher
decides when models of procient
achievement are appropriate for a
given lesson and content area. When
a model is presented, the teacher
explicitly teaches students how to use
the model, and students consistently
use the model to guide their indepen-
dent work. The teacher and students
engage in discourse about the model
to improve their understanding of the
learning target and success criteria.
Students have opportunities to reect
on the model of procient achieve-
ment and to articulate what they
notice about the model as well as
their own work.
Through explicit instruction, dialogue,
and reection, models of procient
achievement can be an effective tool
to support student agency and clarity
To learn more
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140-146.
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
What do we mean by formative assessment?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
What are learning progressions?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2018).
https://bit.ly/LP-Progressions
Learning targets: How students aim for understanding in today’s lesson.
Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart. (ASCD, 2012)
https://www.ascd.org/
Using formative assessment to enhance learning, achievement, and
academic self-regulation
Heidi Andrade and Margaret Heritage (Routledge, 2018)
https://www.routledge.com/
20
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
NOTES
FAMEMichigan.org
21
2021
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Component 3 – Eliciting Evidence of Student
Understanding
When teachers elicit evidence of student understanding in the formative assessment process,
they are monitoring student understanding. Various sources can be used, such as responses
to questions, comments during class discussion, and written work. The purpose of gathering
student evidence within the formative assessment process is that it allows (1) teachers to
know where students are in relation to the learning targets, (2) students to see what they
know and need to work on, and (3) teachers and their students to use the information to
make decisions about where to go next with the learning.
The Eliciting Evidence of Student Understanding Component includes four
Elements:
3.1 Activating Prior Knowledge helps students to connect current learning to
what they learned in the past.
3.2 Gathering Evidence of Student Understanding indicates when and how
teachers will determine the extent of student learning and understanding.
3.3 Teacher Questioning Strategies suggests teachers may choose to use
questions skillfully throughout a lesson.
3.4 Skillful Use of Questions indicates that teachers may employ different
types of questions (ranging from yes-no to those that deeply probe student
understanding), consistent with instructional plans.
“When teachers elicit evidence
of student understanding in
the formative assessment
process, they are monitoring
student understanding.”
22
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
student understanding in the forma-
tive assessment process. A teacher
needs to support students to connect
new learning to past knowledge, to
self-assess, and to set goals for their
learning. A teacher may activate prior
knowledge by using a variety of differ-
ent strategies including:
n concept maps,
n charts that capture what students
Know, what they Want to know
more about, and what they
Learned (KWL),
n anticipation guides, or
n reectionjournals.
At other times, a teacher may
structurereectiveopportunitiesfor
students to connect to prior knowl-
edge by leading students through a
guided visualization or having them
recall their previous learning by draw-
ing or creating a visual diagram.
For example, in reading, a teacher
may invite students to think about
LEARNING
POINT
© April 2019 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
Prior knowledge: Why is activating it important in the
formative assessment process?
In the formative assessment process,
a teacher needs to understand what
students currently know and can do
in order to make informed instruction-
al decisions and provide feedback
that advances student learning and
understanding. Therefore, it is crucial
for teachers to elicit evidence of
student understanding in a variety
of ways so that students have
opportunities to demonstrate their
understanding.
Activating prior knowledge is
important so that teachers gather
accurate and complete infor-
mation about students’ current
understanding and skill. It is also
important so that students remem-
ber what they already know about
a topic or a situation and use this
as the basis for new learning. Teach-
ersandstudentswillbenetfromre-
ectingonwhatstudentsunderstand
and any misconceptions they may
have about a topic before they move
forward with the new learning.
Activating prior
knowledge dened
Activating prior knowledge can be
denedasaprocessthatencourages
students to think about and perhaps
share their existing understanding
about a topic so as to make connec-
tions between what they already know
and new information they are learn-
ing. To develop students’ knowledge
“
“Opportunities for pupils to express
their understanding should be designed
into any piece of teaching, for this will
initiate the interaction whereby
formative assessment aids learning.”
“
(Black & Wiliam, 1998, p. 11)
andskillinagivensubject,theteach-
er needs to provide an opportunity for
students to consider and share what
they already know and can do. This
includes all aspects of what a
student understands, including
misconceptions the students may
have about a topic.
Activating student prior knowledge
helps students to remember what
they already know and understand
about the area of learning, thus
helping them to build on this previous
learning. There are many different
approaches to activating prior knowl-
edge, and this process can look differ-
ent depending upon the content area.
These efforts also allow the teacher
to gather a complete picture of stu-
dents’ previous learning to guide the
student forward and address
any misconceptions.
Applications to practice
Prior knowledge is an important
element of eliciting evidence of
FAMEMichigan.org
23
2021
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
To learn more
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140-146.
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
What do we mean by formative assessment?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
What are learning progressions?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2018).
https://bit.ly/LP-Progressions
Learning targets: How students aim for understanding in today’s lesson.
Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart. (ASCD, 2012)
https://www.ascd.org/
Using formative assessment to enhance learning, achievement, and
academic self-regulation
Heidi Andrade and Margaret Heritage (Routledge, 2018)
https://www.routledge.com/
their prior knowledge or experience
on the topic of a reading passage in
order to make connections to the text
they are reading. Students may be
able to increase their comprehension
and reading skills by using what they
alreadyknowaboutatopictoreect
onhowthenewinformationtswith
what they already know.
In mathematics, a teacher may have
students recall a particular experi-
ence in which they had to solve a
problem. For example, for two-digit
addition with regrouping, the teacher
may have the students recall when
they had to add a large number of
items and how they were able to
keep track of the sum. The teacher
could also have students recall prior
learning about place value and ad-
dition, and strategies they may have
used to create groups of ten to help
students make connections to the
new learning. In this way, activating
prior knowledge could involve telling a
story, having students draw a picture,
recalling prior learning, or visualizing
a related experience.
A science lesson may begin with
students completing an anticipation/
reaction guide about photosynthesis.
Thestudentswilllloutwhetherthey
agree or disagree with statements
about photosynthesis before they
engage in new learning. The teacher
andstudentscanreectonthestu-
dent responses to inform instruction-
al and learning decisions. Then after
the lesson, students can record their
answers again and compare their
predictionswiththeirnalconclu-
sions. In another example, a teacher
may activate prior knowledge before
an investigation of a phenomenon by
asking students what they already
know about the phenomenon.
The tables to the right include some
different ways teachers may activate
prior knowledge. While the tables
provide examples, the primary focus
of activating prior knowledge is to
gather information about students’
current level of understanding for
a particular learning target, so that
the information can be used to guide
instructional decisions and support
student learning. When students
have opportunities to recall what they
already know, their prior knowledge
can help to support current and
future learning.
References
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). As-
sessment and classroom learning.
Assessment in Education: principles,
policy & practice, 5(1), 7-74.
KWL Chart
Fillinthersttworowsbeforenewlearningorresearch.
Fill in the last row after new learning or research.
Topic: _______________________________________________________
K: What do you already know
about this topic?
W: What do you wonder or
want to know?
L: What did you learn about
this topic?
Anticipation Guide
Directions:
1. Read the statements below and decide if you agree or disagree.
Record your prediction in the left-hand column.
2. At the end of the lesson, answer the same statements again.
Record your answers in the right-hand column.
3. Compareyourearlypredictionswithyournalconclusions.
Before
(Agree/Disagree) Statement After (Agree/Disagree)
ReectiononLearning:
24
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
© May 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What is gathering evidence of student understanding?
“
“
Black & Wiliam, 2009, p.43
Practice in a classroom is formative to the extent that evidence about stu-
dent 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 they would
have taken in the absence of the evidence that was elicited.
The formative assessment process
involves continually collecting and
using evidence to inform teaching and
learning. A teacher needs to gather
accurate and complete information
about students’ current understanding
in order to make informed instruction-
al decisions and provide feedback to
advance student learning.
A variety of strategies can be used to
gather evidence of student understand-
ing. What is important is that the teach-
er gathers evidence that is aligned
with a clear learning target and uses it
to move student learning forward. It is
also essential that students are active
agents in collecting and using evidence
of their own understanding as they re-
ect on their learning, revise or modify
their strategies, and inform their future
learning decisions.
Gathering evidence of
student understanding
dened
Gathering evidence of student
understanding in the formative
assessment process occurs when the
teacher provides multiple and varied
opportunities to gather information
about where students are in the learn-
ing process. The information is gath-
ered with the intention to inform the
potential modications to teaching and
learning strategies.
Applications to practice
There are various ways for a teacher
to gather evidence of student under-
standing during a lesson, and several
different ways should be used (to
most accurately assess students). The
best way for a teacher to start to elicit
evidence during instruction is to use
what they already do, rather than trying
to add several new evidence collection
strategies to current practice. Over
time, a teacher can gradually increase
his or her repertoire.
Three instructional routines support
teachers in gathering evidence
of student understanding during
instruction:
1. Gathering evidence through
academic dialogue
2. Gathering evidence through
observation and examination of
student work
3. Gathering evidence through
conferences and one-on-one
conversation
These instructional routines are further
discussed below.
1. Gathering evidence through
academic dialogue
Eliciting evidence of student under-
standing focuses on gathering infor-
mation about student thinking and
understanding. This involves more than
simply “checking for understanding.”
The most important aspect for the
teacher is to gather information about
what the students are actually thinking
and why.
Academic dialogue allows the teacher
to gather information about the what
students understand about the subject
matter and different strategies they
may use. When students engage in
academic dialogue, they publicly com-
municate their ideas, they work to help
one another, they explore ideas, make
connections, and reveal their thinking.
This provides valuable evidence about
student understanding. The teacher will
need to provide signicant support to
create a classroom culture in which all
students engage in equitable academic
dialogue. It will also be benecial to
provide time for classroom discussion
with clear routines as well as to
explain the purpose and expectations
to students.
FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
To learn more
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–146.
www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications/Archive/pdf/
k0710her.pdf
What do we mean by formative assessment?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
Using formative assessment to enhance learning, achievement, and
academic self-regulation
Heidi Andrade and Margaret Heritage (Routledge, 2018)
www.routledge.com
“
“
When a teacher regularly gathers information about
student understanding, the teacher is then able to provide
timely feedback to support students’ attainment of the
learning targets and adjust instruction accordingly.
2. Gathering evidence through
observation and examination of
student work
A teacher will want to gather multiple
examples of student learning to de-
velop a full account of student under-
standing. There are many ways for the
teacher to observe student thinking
and gather evidence:
n concept maps
n student writing
n presentations
n videos
n portfolios
n collaborative work
n drawing
n graphic organizers
n investigations, and
n problem solving.
The teacher can gain important infor-
mation from observation as students
engage in learning opportunities. Then,
analysis of student work products can
provide additional evidence to inform
instructional decisions to guide student
learning. For analysis of the work, a
teacher may use a checklist, rubric, or
other metric that includes criteria for
successful attainment of the learning
target. The success criteria and learn-
ing target guide the instructional and
learning decisions about when, how,
and how much evidence of student un-
derstanding will be gathered – of value
to both students and the teacher.
The teacher should plan opportunities
to observe and gather student work
in order to obtain information about
the students’ level of understanding in
relation to the learning target. Students
should also reect on the learning tar-
get and success criteria as they engage
in the learning process.
3. Gathering evidence through
conferences and one-on-one
conversations
Teachers can create regular oppor-
tunities to conference and speak
one-on-one with students about their
current understanding and progress
toward learning targets. This allows
the teacher to gather specic evidence
of student understanding regarding a
learning target and, when appropriate,
to provide immediate feedback to move
learning forward.
The teacher may ask probing questions
about observations and student
work samples to gather further
information from the student. Students
can describe their learning tactics
and ask questions of the teacher
during this time. The questions
students ask also provide evidence of
their understanding.
For example, in one elementary
classroom, the teacher meets indi-
vidually with students during reading
workshop. The students bring their
reading folders containing student
goals, work samples, and post-it notes
with different reading strategies they
have received from their teacher during
conferences. The teacher may have the
student share about previous strate-
gies used, ask questions about current
work, and describe next steps in his or
her learning.
Similarly, in a high school math class, a
teacher may conference with students
to review their progress in a particu-
lar unit, identify areas for growth and
areas of strength, and set goals for the
upcoming weeks. During these con-
ferences, the teacher is able to gather
specic information about a student’s
level of understanding as well as the
student’s motivation, attitudes, and
self-assessment regarding the content.
While gathering evidence, the teacher
may use “triangulation” of all three
ways to gather student data (such as
products, observations, and confer-
ences) to provide a more consistent,
reliable, and clearer picture of
student understanding.
Teachers also elicit evidence of
student understanding through acti-
vating prior knowledge, questioning,
and self- and peer assessment. These
topics are covered in depth in other
ALN Learning Points.
When a teacher regularly gathers
information about student understand-
ing, the teacher is then able to provide
timely feedback to support students’
attainment of the learning targets and
adjust instruction accordingly.
References
Blac, P. J., & Wiliam, D. (2009). Devel-
oping the theory of formative assess-
ment. Educational Assessment, Evalua-
tion and Accountability, 21(1), 5-31.
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LEARNING
POINT
©November 2019 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What are teacher questioning strategies?
Formative assessment involves a
continuous process in which teach-
ers and students collect and use
evidence of student understanding
to move learning forward. Teachers
intentionally craft evidence-gathering
strategies that are designed to gather
information about what the students
know and can do in relation to the
learning targets and success criteria.
Questioning is a powerful tool for
teachers to elicit and engage student
thinking. In addition to other ways to
elicit evidence such as observation,
classroom talk, and student work, the
teacher can employ different ques-
tioning strategies to elicit evidence of
students’ understanding while they
are learning.
Teacher questioning
strategies dened
Teacher questioning strategies can
be dened as the intentional use of a
range of low to high cognitive demand
questions. The teacher needs a reper-
toire of questioning strategies. These
strategies include low-level cogni-
tive demand questions (to clarify,
gather information, or activate prior
knowledge) and high-level cognitive
demand questions that require stu-
dents to use information or ideas that
they have learned to solve a problem,
provide an explanation, or reveal their
thinking while working through a prob-
lem or idea. The use of a repertoire
of such questions also encourages
students to reect on their own think-
ing, provide their reasoning, and/or
make connections to other students’
ideas. This intentional use of ques-
tions helps the teacher to understand
where the students are in relation to
the learning target to support next
steps in their learning.
Applications to practice
Effective questioning strategies facil-
itate connections to prior knowledge,
support a classroom culture that
values learning and risk-taking, and
promote cognitive development. The
next section describes elements of
effective questioning strategies that
educators can use to elicit evidence
of student understanding.
Essential elements of teacher
questioning strategies
n Intentionally plan questions in
advance. Intentionally plan ques-
tions prior to the lesson that will
elicit and explore student thinking.
This may include a list of questions
to prompt student thinking at
specic points in the lesson or
scaffolding questions of increasing
cognitive demand to engage
students’ thinking as they deepen
their understanding. Questioning
can be used to help students
access their prior knowledge as
well as to deepen their under-
standings later in the lesson.
“
The shorter the time interval
between eliciting the evidence
and using it to improve
instruction, the bigger the likely
impact on learning.
”
DYLAN WILIAM
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FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
n Engage in dialogue or “assess-
ment conversations.” Reect on
ways to ask questions and ways to
follow up on questions that prompt
student thinking, acknowledge
individual contributions to learn-
ing, and promote classroom
dialogue. Questioning strategies
often involve a format in which the
teacher asks a question, the stu-
dent responds, and then the
teacher evaluates the answer. In
higher cognitive demand ques-
tioning strategies and assessment
conversations, the teacher asks a
question, the student responds,
and then the teacher may ask for
more information in a number of
different ways from that student
or other students to explore stu-
dent thinking and promote further
learning. For example, the teach-
er may ask follow-up questions
that invite students to:
l clarify their meaning or ideas;
l consider the situation from
another perspective;
l reect on their own metacogni-
tive processes;
l explain their reasoning, think-
ing, and problem-solving
process;
l make connections to previous
learning and others’
responses; or
l provide evidence to support
their thinking.
n Use research-based practices for
effective questioning.
n Apply pre-thinking strategies,
such as think/pair/share, pre-
writing, and brainstorming for
cognitively complex questions.
n Allow 3-5 seconds of wait-time
after asking a question for stu-
dents to process and engage
with the question.
n Use question stems that involve
increasing depth of knowledge
(Marzano & Simms, 2012).
n Engage students in the cognitive
activity of questioning. Teach
students about different types
of questions as well as different
approaches to write and
respond to higher-order thinking
questions.
n Focus on students’ ideas rather
than having a “right” answer
(e.g., Otero, 2006).
Summary
Having a range of different types of
questions, including high and low
cognitive demand questions, is useful
to support teaching and learning at
different times. Teacher questioning
strategies emphasize the intentional
use of these different types of ques-
tions to elicit student thinking and
promote learning. Questioning and
dialogue in the classroom are critical
opportunities to explore student
thinking and promote an inclusive
classroom culture.
References
LearnEd (2018). 4 Common Types of
Tests Teachers Give (And Why). News
About Learning.
Marzano, R. J., & Simms, J. A. (2012).
Questioning sequences in the class-
room. SolutionTree Press.
Otero, V. (2006). Moving beyond the
“Get it or don’t” concepti on of
formative assessment. Journal of
Teacher Education, 57(3), 247–255.
Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedding Forma-
tive Assessment: Practical Techniques
for K-12 Classrooms.
“
What we are really trying to do as
educators is learn – learn what students
know so we can celebrate that while also
learning where they need extra support.
”
LearnED
To learn more
Embedding Formative Assessment: Practical Techniques for K-12 Classrooms
Dylan William, (Solution Tree, 2011).
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage, Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140-146.
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
Quality questioning: research-based practice to engage every learner
by Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes. (Corwin, 2nd Edition, 2017).
Questioning for classroom discussion: Purposeful thinking, engaged listening,
deep thinking
by Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes. (ASCD, 2015).
What do we mean by formative assessment?
ALN Leaerning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
28
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POINT
©January 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What is skillful use of questions?
Skillful use of questions is one of many
ways to elicit evidence of student under-
standing. In the formative assessment
process, the teacher and students use ev-
idence of student understanding to make
adjustments that move learning forward.
The teacher purposefully uses different
sorts of questions to deliver content and
to monitor the understanding of the class
as well as keep track of individual student
understanding. Skillful use of questions
is how the teacher provides opportunities
for students to engage in classroom ques-
tioning routines and discussion through
sharing their ideas and building on each
other’s ideas.
Skillful use of questions dened
Skillful use of questions is the intentional
use of different questioning strategies to
deliver content and gather information
about student thinking and understand-
ing with a specic focus on who is being
asked the questions, when questions are
being asked, and the purpose they will
serve to gather evidence of student un-
derstanding. A key aspect of skillful use of
different types of questions is the planned
use of questions to check for student un-
derstanding from the entire class as well
as from individual students. In addition,
the students understand that questioning
is about the opportunity to share current
understanding and explore thinking to
move learning forward rather than trying
to “get it right.”
Applications to practice
A teacher’s skillful use of questions
includes a focus on the purpose, timing,
and audience for questions to deliver
content and to check students’
understanding.
Purpose of questions
The teacher intentionally uses a reper-
toire of questions in the lesson for spe-
cic purposes, such as to activate prior
knowledge; review past learning; deliver
content; gauge student understanding;
provide students with specic, action-
able, and immediate feedback; or adjust
instructional strategies in relation to the
learning target.
By planning in advance, the teacher is
able to determine when questioning will
occur, the nature of the questions to be
used, and how the questions will be used
for particular purposes. The teacher will
often write down the questions that will
be asked; when he or she will ask the
questions; and whether the questions
will be asked to the entire class, to a
small group of students, or to select
individual students.
Skillful use of questions includes the care-
ful selection of the type of question to t
the teacher’s purpose. The type of ques-
tions may vary from low cognitive-demand
questions for a quick review or activating
prior knowledge to high cognitive-demand
questions that deepen and extend stu-
dent understanding. The skillful teacher
uses the full repertoire of questioning
strategies carefully and thoughtfully to
gather evidence of student understanding
for a particular purpose.
Ultimately, the purpose of questioning in
the formative assessment process is to
move student learning forward. Skillful
“
To question well is to teach well.
In the skillful use of the question more
than anything else lies the ne art of
teaching; for in it we have the guide to
clear and vivid ideas, the quick spur to
imagination, the stimulus to thought,
the incentive to action.
”
CHARLES DEGARMO (1911)
FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
use of questions allows the teacher to
determine:
n what the learner knows,
n what the learner doesn’t know,
n the extent to which a learner is
linking background knowledge with
newer concepts,
n any fundamental misconceptions
that are getting in the way of
understanding, and
n what next steps are needed to move
the learning forward.
– Adapted from Fisher and Frey, (2010)
The assessment-based evidence is then
used to inform instruction, help students
become more engaged in their learning,
and move learning forward.
Timing of questions
The timing of questions must be carefully
considered within the instructional lesson.
As a teacher develops greater compe-
tence with skillful use of different types
of questions to gather information on
student understanding, the teacher may
include a list of questions that will be
asked at various points throughout
the lesson. The teacher can then pose
specic questions at certain moments in
the lesson to monitor the understanding
of the class as well as individual student
understanding. In addition, the teacher
will be better able to anticipate what
questions may arise during the course
of the lesson, and will develop skill in
the spontaneous use of questions that
become necessary during instruction.
The teacher plans ahead to determine the
structure and questioning routines in the
classroom to gather evidence of under-
standing from students. For example,
a teacher may decide which students
will be asked specic questions during
conferences on a given day of the week.
Structures and routines are established in
the classroom, so that over time students
become familiar with engaging in a variety
of different types of questions in different
ways. The students have opportunities to
practice questioning routines and
understand that the teacher asks ques-
tions to provide opportunities for the
students to share their ideas and build on
one another’s ideas.
Audience for questions
The teacher is also intentional about
the audience for the questions during a
lesson. This includes who will respond to
the questions as well as the needs of the
learners who are answering the ques-
tions. Planning for questioning allows the
teacher to anticipate students’ responses
to questions that probe for deeper under-
standing, elicit discussion, and prompt
exploration of ideas.
The teacher will also be aware of the
discourse that may arise from questions
and ensure that the thoughts, ideas, and
suggestions of every student are valued
equally by the teacher. Teachers should
avoid calling on only certain students
(e.g., only the ones who raise their
hands), since this leaves other students
“off the hook” and helps those students
avoid active participation in the lesson. It
is essential that the teacher intentionally
acknowledge the contributions of every
student to the learning process and pro-
vide time for all students to explain their
thinking and also ask their own questions.
Supportive classroom culture
Classroom culture is also an important as-
pect of questioning. The teacher will need
to cultivate a climate of trust and support
students as they become familiar with the
important role of questions to explore stu-
dent thinking and deepen understanding.
Students must be involved in understand-
ing the new expectations and their role in
the learning process as teachers increase
the cognitive demand of questions and
ask students to explain the reasoning for
their thinking. The teacher will need to
provide modeling, practice, and scaffold-
ing as students learn new ways to work
through challenging questions and explain
their thinking.
Skillful use of questions nurtures a
culture for thinking in the classroom, facil-
itates the use of feedback, and promotes
a sense of student ownership in the
learning process.
References:
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assess-
ment and classroom learning. Assess-
ment in Education: principles, policy &
practice. Vol.5, Issue 1.
Degarmo, C. (1911). Principles of Second-
ary Education. Volume III, Ethical Training.
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2010). Identifying in-
structional moves during guided learning.
The Reading Teacher, 64(2).
Popham, W. J. (2008). Transformative
assessment. ASCD.
“
Formative assessment is a planned process in
which teachers or students use assessment-based
evidence to adjust what they’re currently doing.
”
JAMES POPHAM (2008)
To learn more
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage, Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140-146.
https://bit.ly/3yvGOPJ
Framework for Thinking through Quality Questioning: Deepening Student
Engagement. J. Walsh & B. Sattes. (Corwin Press, 2011).
https://bit.ly/3xrftwO
Five Research Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback.
Marianne Stenger. (Edutopia, August 4, 2014).
http://bit.ly/5Tips-Stenger
What do we mean by formative assessment? ALN Learning Point. (Michigan
Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
30
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
NOTES
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Component 4 – Formative Feedback
The goal of gathering evidence of student understanding is to use it to guide subsequent
teacher and student actions to close the gap between students’ current understanding and
the learning target.
When teachers engage in formative feedback in the formative assessment process, they
provide verbal or written feedback to students to help them adjust their learning. The
process also supports students as they monitor their own learning and make adjustments
as needed to close the gaps in their learning. This can foster a sense of control over their
learning and promote student motivation and agency. Feedback is always adaptive and
requires teacher knowledge of other factors; it depends upon the learning targets, the
assignment, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, the student, and the overall
formative assessment process.
The Formative Feedback Component includes three Elements:
4.1 Feedback from the Teacher is formative feedback relative to the learning
targets that teachers provide to students.
4.2 Feedback from Peers is feedback students are able to provide to other students
relative to the learning targets.
4.3 Student Self-Assessment is feedback students are able to provide to
themselves relative to the learning targets as they are learning.
“The goal of gathering
evidence of student
understanding is to use it to
guide subsequent teacher
and student actions to close
the gap between students’
current understanding and
the learning target.”
32
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
©January 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What is formative feedback?
Why is feedback from the teacher important?
Formative feedback is an essential
component in the formative assessment
process. Research indicates it can be one
of the practices with the highest impact
on student learning and achievement
outcomes when done effectively (Hattie
& Timperley, 2007). However, not all
feedback is the same, and scholars have
worked to identify what types of feedback
are most effective (Brookhart, 2008; Hat-
tie & Timperley, 2007; McManus, 2008;
Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2005; Wiggins,
2012). Feedback is most benecial when
it is related to the learning target and
identies strengths as well as areas for
growth. In this way, formative feedback
supports the student to understand the
learning target and develop the necessary
strategies and competence to reach
the target.
Formative feedback dened
Feedback can be dened as the verbal or
written responses a teacher provides to
students on their performance or under-
standing with the intention to close the
gap between the student’s current status
and the learning target. Feedback pro-
vides useful information for the students
to reect on their learning and self-reg-
ulate their thinking processes and the
strategies they use. Feedback can take
many forms and serve different purposes
as it is tailored to the individual student
and specic learning goals. Formative
feedback can provide new knowledge,
clarify understanding, introduce new strat-
egies, shift beliefs about self and tasks,
and develop metacognitive skills.
Sadler (1989) delineated three necessary
components of feedback: (1) the standard
that is to be achieved, (2) the actual level
of performance, and (3) how to go about
closing the gap. These components are
at the heart of the formative assessment
process, and thus feedback is critical for
students to understand what is needed to
move their learning forward.
Formative feedback involves an ongoing
cycle between teachers and students. It
can take many forms in the classroom,
including:
n Feedback from the teacher: verbal or
written feedback to a student to
improve his or her achievement of
the learning target
n Feedback from peers: feedback from
one student to another student
about his or her learning in relation
to a learning target
n Student self-assessment: the
process in which students gather
information and reect on their own
learning in relation to the
learning goal.
What makes feedback most
effective?
Feedback from the teacher is most
effective when it is descriptive, that is, it
focuses on a specic task and provides
information for the student to improve
his or her work or understanding on the
task. According to the research, there are
specic feedback strategies and content
characteristics that affect student learn-
ing and motivation.
To learn more
Seven keys to effective feedback. Grant Wiggins (Educational Leadership, Vol.
70, Number 1, 2012).
http://bit.ly/7Keys-Wiggins
Six Tips for Managing the Feedback Workload. Andrew Miller. (Edutopia, July 3,
2019).
http://bit.ly/6Tips-Miller
Five Research Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback.
Marianne Stenger. (Edutopia, August 4, 2014).
http://bit.ly/5Tips-Stenger
Feedback: Part of a System.
Dylan Wiliam. (Feedback for Learning, 2012. Vol. 70, No.1).
http://bit.ly/Feedback-Wiliam
FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
Specic to the learning target
Process- or product-focused; identies strengths and areas
for growth
Targeted to the demands of the learning target
Focused on the quality of the students’ process/product/ideas
as they are developing
Timely—can be used to improve progress
Descriptive—specic, often in the form of questions
Actionable—concrete information that helps learners progress
Vague (e.g., “good”)
Learner-focused (You’re so smart!)
Diffuse and overwhelming (e.g. edits of even minute mistakes)
Criterion-referenced (“Compared to the criteria, your response is good,”) or
norm-referenced (e.g., “This is much better than the rest of the class”)
Delayed until after the learning opportunity is over
Evaluative—grades, scores, checkmarks, judgments
Summative—no further learning on this learning target is expected
Table 1: What does formative feedback look like?
What is descriptive and evaluative
feedback?
Evaluative feedback is relative either
to a performance standard or to the
performance of all students. Evaluative
feedback is summative, providing general
information or comments about how
well or how poorly students performed
on a task. It often takes the form of a
letter grade; check mark; number; or com-
ment such as “good,” “nice work,”
or “incorrect.”
Descriptive or formative feedback,
in contrast, provides specic information
in written comments or conversations.
Formative feedback helps students
understand what they need to do to
improve, helping learners understand
where they are relative to the learning
target and what they need to do next to
close the gap.
References
Brookhart, S. M. (2008). Feedback that ts. Engaging
the whole child: Reections on best practices in learn-
ing, teaching, and leadership, 166-175.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feed-
back. Review of educational research, 77(1), 81-112.
Hattie, J. (2009). The contributions from teaching
approaches-part 1. J. Hattie.(Eds.), Visible learning: A
synthesis of over, 800, 161-199.
McManus, S. (2008). Attributes of effective formative
assessment.
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2005). Formative
assessment and self-regulated learning. A model and
seven principles of good feedback practice, 2006, 31.
Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on Formative Feedback.
Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153 -189.
doi:10.3102/0034654307313795
Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven keys to effective feedback.
Feedback, 70(1), 10-16.
Table 2: Examples of formative and evaluative of feedback
Descriptive or Formative Feedback Evaluative Feedback
Descriptive—specic, often in the form Letter Grade: A through F
of questions
“You provide a clear thesis statement for your
essay. Do each of your three supporting
paragraphs include evidence?”
Timely—can be used to improve progress Comments such as:
In a conference with the student the teacher “Good job,” “nice work,” or
says, “I notice you are using the slide through “incorrect.”
the whole word strategy. Keep using this, and “Nice reading!”
as you read also try looking for chunks.”
Actionable—concrete information Number such as:
“The computation error (you wrote 100 x 15 24/25
=150) caused you to miss the correct answer
to the word problem. Remember the strategy
we practiced in class when multiplying numbers
by 100. All other steps are correct.”
Formative Feedback IS Formative Feedback IS NOT
Also, feedback should be provided in a
timely way so that students can take im-
mediate action to improve their learning.
Students also lter the feedback they
receive and make meaning of the mes-
sage through self-regulation, or the use
and control of their thought processes.
Therefore, it is important for the teacher
to cultivate a classroom culture in which
students view feedback as an integral
part of the learning process.
Formative feedback is most effective
when it:
n relates specically to the learning
target and success criteria.
o focuses on strengths (what the
student is doing well)
o helps the student to be an
investigator of learning and to
identify errors
o describes how to improve
the work
o changes feedback as student
learning progresses and
responds to where students
currently are in relation to the
learning target
n is provided at just the right time, in
just the right amount.
n is positive, clear, and specic.
n is ongoing and consistent.
n makes actionable and manageable
suggestions for improvement.
n helps students to become reective
learners.
n leads to opportunities for students to
use the feedback to enhance
their work.
n is supported by a classroom culture
that values feedback.
In classroom instruction and assessment,
there are different times and situations
in which different types of feedback are
most useful.
34
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
bric, checklist, or feedback protocol. The
teacher should provide explicit instruction
and model the peer feedback process
for students. Then, students should be
given opportunities to practice peer
assessment. Students can use checklists,
rubrics, or other criteria to support them
as they provide descriptive feedback to
another student.
Initially, students can focus on one topic
for their feedback; but over time with
practice, they can manage providing
feedback on multiple aspects of the work
of other students. It is important to note
that this is an iterative process of learning
for the teacher and the students that
develops over the course of the school
year. The teacher should scaffold student
learning over time, provide opportunities
to practice giving and receiving feedback,
and ensure the students have time to re-
ect on and use the feedback to improve.
An overview of steps involved in imple-
menting peer assessment are outlined in
Table 1. For more detailed information,
see Going Deeper with Self- and Peer
Assessment, Kintz et. al., forthcoming).
each other’s papers and/or provide a
summative assessment of the work (i.e.,
evaluative feedback such as “good job”).
Peer assessment is an ongoing process
in which students learn skills over time
to provide descriptive and actionable
feedback to peers as well as to reect on
the feedback from one another and use it
to revise their skills or work.
Applications to practice
The teacher will need to foster a support-
ive learning culture in the classroom so
that students are comfortable providing
feedback to others that is useful to them
(and overcome possible inter-personal
barriers). Teachers also should prepare
students to engage in peer assessment
and provide direct, useful feedback to one
another. In addition, the teacher might
develop a repertoire of instructional tools,
practices, and strategies to support stu-
dents as they learn to provide meaningful
feedback to one another.
Once students are clear on the learning
target and success criteria, the teacher
may select a strategy or tool for students
to use for peer assessment such as a ru-
LEARNING
POINT
©January 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What is feedback from peers?
“
Feedback is most eective when it is
related to the learning target and
identies strengths and areas for growth.
Then, students need time to reect on
the feedback from one another and to use
it to improve their skills or work.
”
KINTZ ET AL., 2016
Peers can be a valuable resource to
support learning in the formative assess-
ment process. In addition to receiving
feedback from the teacher, classroom
peers can receive descriptive formative
feedback from each other that is clear,
specic, actionable, and timely to promote
learning. Feedback from a peer could
focus on what the student may need to do
to achieve the success criteria, suggest
how the student can make the needed
changes or describe what the student
providing feedback has accomplished
regarding his or her success criteria for a
learning target. Students can then reect
on and use peer feedback to move their
learning forward.
Feedback from peers dened
Feedback from peers can be dened
as the process through which a student
gathers information and feedback from
another student’s learning in relation to
a learning target. This process involves
three steps:
1) Recognize the desired learning goal
2) Provide feedback on the quality of
another student’s thinking and
performance relative to the success
criteria so that the other student is
able to gather evidence about his
or her current position in relation to
the learning goal
3) Provide information including
understanding, strategies, and skills
to close the gap between the
student’s current position and the
desired performance
Feedback from peers is often referred to
as “peer assessment.” The term “peer
assessment” in this context does not de-
scribe the practice when students grade
FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
Table 1: Implementing Peer Assessment
1. PREPARE:
Prepare students for
peer assessment
2.
GUIDANCE:
Provide rubrics, guidelines, or
other criteria with clearly
denedtasks
3.
MODEL and TEACH the
PROCESS:
Model and explicitly teach the
process of peer assessment
with students
4. PRACTICE:
Facilitate opportunities for
students to practice, engage in
peer assessment, and receive
feedbackontheprocess
5. REFLECT and SUPPORT:
Ensure students have time to
reectonthefeedbackfromone
another and use it to improve their
skillsand/orwork.
• Cultivate a supportive learning culture and an environment of trust in the
classroom, and provide opportunities for collaboration in learning.
• Explain the expectations for students and the change from their role as a learner
to being a resource for one another.
• Ensure the learning target and success criteria for any peer assessment are
clear and discussed with students.
• Provide rubrics, checklists, or visual anchor charts and clearly dened tasks to
guide their feedback to peers.
• Develop a repertoire of protocols and strategies that students can use to provide
feedback to one another.
• Provide descriptive and actionable feedback to students through comments on
their work and performance in relation to the learning target and success criteria.
• Model and teach theprocess and skills of giving and receiving feedback.
• Scaffold student learning by allowing them to practice one step at a time, and
provide feedback so students are aware of what went well and what may need to
be improved.
• Integrate peer assessment into students; work toward a learning target.
• Provide opportunities for students to review feedback from a peer and improve
their skills and/or work accordingly.
Teachers who have been successful
in promoting peer assessment in the
classroom report it is important to provide
opportunities for peers to give and receive
feedback as often as possible. These
experiences help students to build trust in
one another and become actively involved
in the assessment process. Other teacher
recommendations include the following:
n Allow the same students to partner
together for the rst part of the year
to develop relationships. Then they
can switch partners more often as
they get to know each other;
Source: FAME Learning Guide (Kintz et al., 2016)
n
Gather data during peer assessment
time on strengths and weaknesses of
the process. If it is benecial for the
whole class, share feedback in general
terms, or in one-on-one conferences
as needed.
n Choose a manageable strategy to
begin with: lukewarm and cool feed-
back, two stars and a wish, or
sentence frames (see Kintz et. al.,
forthcoming).
n Focus on the learning goal rather than
completing an assignment or getting
it right.
n Support students who are
frustrated, not giving quality feedback,
or taking feedback personally. Let
them know it is ok if it does not work
the rst or second time and to keep
working on manageable tasks.
n After students engage in peer
assessment, ask for their opinions on
what worked and what could be
improved, why, and where to go from
here. When teachers provide
consistent and ongoing opportuni-
ties for feedback from peers, students
become familiar with the process, take
ownership of their learning, and regard
each other as instructional resources.
References
Kintz et. al., (forthcoming). Going deeper
with peer-assessment. Michigan Depart-
ment of Education.
Kintz et. al., (2016). FAME learning guide:
Developing and implementing the
formative assessment process in Michi-
gan. Michigan Department of Education.
Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded Formative
Assessment. Strategies for classroom
formative assessment that drives student
engagement and learning. Solution
Tree Press.
To learn more
Learning targets: Helping students aim for understanding in today’s lesson
Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart. (ASCD, 2012).
http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Learning-Targets.aspx
Student centered assessment: Peer assessment.
Georgia Brooke and Heidi Andrade. (Students at the Center, 2013).
https://bit.ly/3hkoJi2
What do we mean by formative assessment?
ALN Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
36
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
©January 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What is self-assessment?
Student self-assessment has been
shown to raise student achievement and
promote a sense of ownership in the
learning process (Black & William, 1998;
Chappuis & Stiggins, 2002; Rolheiser &
Ross, 2001). According to a review of the
self-assessment literature, students who
engaged in the process of self-assess-
ment strategies demonstrated improved
academic performance across different
grade levels and subject areas (Brown &
Harris, 2014). When students self-assess,
they gather information about and reect
on their own learning.
Teachers can work with students to help
them consider their progress in develop-
ing certain skills, knowledge, processes,
and attitudes. Then, students can use
that information to determine where they
are in relation to the learning goal and the
actions they need to take to close the gap
between their current understanding and
the learning goal.
Student self-assessment dened
Student self-assessment can be dened
as the process in which students gather
information about and reect on their own
learning in relation to a learning goal. This
process involves three parts in
which students:
(1) recognize and understand the
desired learning goal,
(2) monitor and evaluate the quality of
their thinking and performance to
gather evidence about their current
position in relation to the learning
goal, and
(3) acquire the understanding,
strategies, and skills to close the gap
between their current position and
the desired performance.
This three-part denition helps to provide
clarity for the different areas of skill and
understanding that the teacher needs to
address to effectively support students to
engage in self-assessment.
Applications to practice
Self-assessment is an essential element
of the formative assessment process.
When a teacher explicitly teaches stu-
dents to effectively self-assess, students
become empowered to set their own
goals for learning, take ownership of their
learning, and take action to close the gap
between the two to achieve their goals.
Students need ongoing feedback,
support, and practice throughout this
learning process.
There are several steps a teacher can
take to establish processes and rou-
tines that support students to engage in
self-assessment. It is important for the
teacher to foster a supportive learning cul-
ture in the classroom so that students are
comfortable engaging in self-assessment.
The teacher can provide clear expecta-
tions on how students can objectively look
at their work in comparison to specic cri-
teria. Students are often overly critical or
overly optimistic about their performance,
so the teacher can help students develop
an accurate self-assessment of their work
by looking for specic indicators of the
success criteria to meet the learning goal.
This criteria is helpful for students to use
as they review their own work.
The more students have learned to give
and receive formative feedback that is
aligned to success criteria, the better
prepared they are to self-assess. Through
both self- and peer assessment, students
learn how to monitor their progress
toward goals and take action to move
their learning forward.
Teaching self-assessment to students
requires attention to ve aspects:
n Ensure students understand the
success criteria to clarify what
they will use when assessing
their learning.
n Model how to use the success
criteria to assess student work.
n Provide opportunities for students
to use the criteria to assess their
own work.
n Talk with students about what went
well and what could be improved in
assessing their learning.
n Help students to use the information
from self-assessment to clarify next
steps in their learning and to develop
individual learning goals.
Steps for implementing self-assessment
are highlighted in Table 1.
Teachers can also help students develop
as self-assessors by modeling self-assess-
ment in the classroom. The teacher or
students may show examples of work and
share their self-assessment about the
work in comparison to a learning target
or specic criteria. The teacher will need
to further prepare students to engage in
self-assessment by:
n dening self-assessment in
student-friendly language;
n discussing why it is important for
their learning; and
n clarifying the learning targets and
success criterial they will use to
assess their knowledge, skills,
or performance.
The teacher will need to support students
to use the information they gather from
self-assessment to inform their work as
they close the gap between their current
FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
To learn more
Learning Point: What do we mean by formative assessment?
Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016.
http://bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
Promoting learning and achievement through self-assessment
by Heidi Andrade & Anna Valtcheva. Theory into Practice. 48, 12-19.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577544
Student Self-Assessment. Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat: Capacity Building
Series (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/
studentselfassessment.pdf
Student Self-Assessment: The Key to Stronger Student Motivation and Higher
Achievement. James McMillan & Jessica Hearn. Educational Horizons, Fall 2008,
p 40-49.
https://les.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ815370.pdf
understanding or performance and the
desired learning goal. Students benet
from opportunities to reect on their
self-assessment as they internalize what
constitutes quality work and their own
individual strengths and areas for growth.
They can do this by revising their work,
writing in a journal, or sharing with a peer.
Often the teacher will have students keep
a notebook to record their goals, progress,
and new strategies they are using.
Table 1: Implementing Self-Assessment
This is an iterative process that devel-
ops over the course of the school year.
Students will need ample practice, with
opportunities to debrief, ask questions,
and share about challenges and suc-
cesses. Self-assessment will also look
different in different content areas and
for different assignments, so teachers will
need to think about when and how it will
be most valuable for students to engage
in self-assessment.
It is helpful for students and teachers
to begin small with self-assessment, and
to develop skills over time with practice.
When teachers provide consistent and
ongoing opportunities for self-assess-
ment, students become familiar with the
process, take ownership of their learning,
and gain condence in themselves
as learners.
“Peer and self-assessment help students gain
condence in themselves as learners and
promote student engagement and learning”
(Black & Wiliam, 1998).
References
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and
classroom learning. Assessment in Education:
principles, policy & practice, 5(1), 7-74.
Brown, G., & Harris, L. R. (2014). The future of
self-assessment in classroom practice: Refram-
ing self-assessment as a core competency.
Chappuis, S., & Stiggins, R. J. (2002). Class-
room assessment for learning. Educational
leadership, 60(1), 40-44.
Rolheiser, C., & Ross, J. A. (2001). Student
self-evaluation: What research says and what
practice shows. Plain talk about kids, 43, 57.
1. PREPARE:
Prepare students to engage
in self-assessment
2. GUIDANCE:
Provide rubrics, guidelines, or other
criteria to guide students as they
assess their own work
3. MODEL and TEACH the PROCESS:
Model and explicitly teach the process
of self-assessment with students
4. PRACTICE
Facilitate opportunities for students
to practice, engage in self-assessment,
and receive feedback on the process
5. REFLECT and SUPPORT:
Ensurestudentshavetimetoreect
on their self-assessment and use it to
improve their skills and/or work
n Create a class culture where reection and growth are valued.
n Dene self-assessment in student-friendly language, and explain why it may be
helpful for their learning.
n Ensure the learning target and success criteria are presented/co-created and
discussed so that students have a clear understanding of the expectations for
performance that they will use to assess their work.
n Provide rubrics, checklists, or visual anchor charts, along with clearly dened
tasks to guide self-assessment.
n Model self-assessment and metacognition by doing a “think- aloud” in which the
teacher demonstrates the internal thinking involved in self-assessment using a
particular learning target and performance or work sample.
n Scaffold student learning by allowing them to practice one step at a time, and
provide feedback so students are aware of what went well and what may need to
be improved.
n Provide opportunities for students to revise their work and set goals for future
learning based on their self-assessment.
38
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
NOTES
FAMEMichigan.org
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Component 5 – Instructional and Learning Decisions
As part of instructional decisions in the formative assessment process, teachers make
decisions several times a day about changes to instruction, given the progress (or lack
thereof) of students. Students also make ongoing learning decisions in the formative
assessment process based on the evidence they gather and feedback they receive. Students
should set goals for themselves and make short- and longer-term changes in learning tactics
based on their progress in learning.
The formative assessment process can provide teachers and students with immediate data
for making informed decisions about what to do next. The essential purpose is to give
teachers and students real-time information about student understanding to help students
move closer to the learning target. By implementing practices that assess student learning
in relation to the learning target, teachers can analyze the evidence to provide feedback to
students, and also modify teaching and learning activities.
The Instructional and Learning Decisions Component includes two Elements:
5.1 Adjustments to Teaching are the changes in instruction that teachers make as
the result of feedback from students as they learn.
5.2 Adjustments to Learning are the changes to learning that students make as a
result of formative feedback they receive from the teacher or peers, as well as the
feedback they provide to themselves.
“The essential purpose is to
give teachers and students
real-time information about
student understanding to
help students move closer to
the learning target.”
40
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
©April 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What are adjustments to teaching?
“
“
Margaret Heritage, 2007, p. 141
Formative assessment is a systematic
process to continuously gather evidence
about learning. The data are used to
identify a student’s current level of learn-
ing and to adapt lessons to help the
student reach the desired learning goal.
In the formative assessment process,
teachers gather evidence of student
understanding to move student
learning forward. As teachers plan for
instruction, they consider when they
will elicit evidence of student under-
standing and what mechanisms they
will use to do so. They anticipate the
types of misunderstanding students
might evidence and even how they
may need to adjust their instruction to
move student learning forward.
Teachers elicit evidence in a variety
of ways such as observation, student
work products, or classroom talk.
After they intentionally collect evi-
dence to gure out students’ current
levels of understanding relative to
learning goals (see the Learning
Point, What is gathering evidence of
student understanding?), teachers
use the evidence to decide the next
immediate step to advance
student learning.
Dylan Wiliam (2009) describes the
two steps involved in making instruc-
tional decisions:
1) diagnostic, in which the teacher
interprets the students’
responses to understand the
students’ current thinking and
motivation; and
2) prognostic, to choose the best
course of action.
Eliciting and using evidence of stu-
dent understanding should happen
during daily teaching and learning in
the classroom. The ways that teach-
ers respond to evidence to move
student learning forward can look
different depending upon the context.
Teachers benet from seeing different
examples and then reecting how it
will look in their own setting.
Adjustments to teaching
dened
Adjustments to teaching can be
dened as the ongoing changes that
teachers make to adjust teaching and
learning based on evidence in order
to improve students’ achievement of
intended instructional aims.
Applications to practice
In adjustments to teaching, the
teacher uses evidence of student
understanding in relation to learning
targets to verify or modify teaching
and learning activities. After teachers
interpret the evidence and identify
the current status of student learn-
ing, they need to make decisions and
take action to respond to students’
learning needs.
To support students in reaching
learning targets, the teacher may
make adjustments in 1) plans for the
lesson, 2) instructional strategies,
or 3) types of assessment to gather
further information on what students
know or do not understand. These ad-
justments may occur during planned
work time or moment-to-moment in
the classroom, when the teacher con-
tinually interprets evidence to guide
instructional decisions.
FAMEMichigan.org
41
2021
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
To learn more
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–146.
www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications/Archive/pdf/
k0710her.pdf
What do we mean by formative assessment?
Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
References
Heritage, M. (2007). Formative assessment:
What do teachers need to know and do? Phi
Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140-146
Wiliam, D. (2009). Assessment for learning:
Why, what and how? London: The Institute of
Education, University of London.
Adjustments to teaching are based on
the ongoing analysis of teaching and
learning throughout the formative as-
sessment process. At times, a single
data source will lead to a shift in in-
structional decisions. At other times,
multiple sources of data might be
used to make well-informed decisions
about next steps in learning.
The teacher may reect on notes from
observations, student work samples,
and a student-led conference form
to record where students currently
are in there learning and to identify
learning needs and next steps for
instruction. During the lesson, the
teacher may also reect on responses
from students to various questions to
make adjustments in how to proceed.
Teachers may choose different
approaches and systems to analyze
data such as to graph, chart, or
color-code student data to identify
patterns and have a visual represen-
tation of information. A clear purpose
and progress toward the learning goal
guides the collection, analysis, and
reection on the data.
The following are instructional adjustments teachers can make in response to evidence:
Feedback
Modeling
Questioning
Direct instruction
Contingent plan
Work conguration
Feedback to students that is specic to the learning target and success criteria (that is,
feedback that is formative, not evaluative). The teacher helps students to reect on their
use of strategies and provides feedback that invites students to be investigators in their
learning as they develop new learning strategies.
Explicit and intentional modeling of a skill, problem solving, or learning strategy that can
help students to understand the desired student learning outcome.
Asking questions that can promote meaningful discussions and deepen student under-
standing. Teachers can listen to the students’ answers and ask follow-up questions to
gather further information about student understanding. An appropriate instructional
response to move learning forward may be to ask further questions.
Explanation, direction, or instruction that is aimed at supporting students to remove barri-
ers or misconceptions and to provide what students need to deepen their understanding.
The teacher may provide an explanation to clarify concepts, clear up misconceptions, or ex-
plain a strategy or process. Direct instruction provides students with information intended
to help students further develop their understanding.
A plan that is made before instruction to address the range of possible evidence the teach-
er may see in a lesson. The teacher considers different ways the students may respond
and plans alternate instructional strategies for individuals, small groups, or the whole class
that will move learning forward. This allows the teacher to plan for a range of next steps to
respond to evidence that might arise in the moment during the lesson.
Evidence-based decisions to have students work in different congurations—alone, in
pairs, with an assistant teacher, with the teacher, in small groups, with different resources,
or on a subset of expanded content. The intention is to provide opportunities to deepen,
extend, or clarify their understanding relevant to the learning target.
42
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
LEARNING
POINT
©April 2020 | This information is aligned with the Assessment Literacy Standards at michiganassessmentconsortium.org
What are adjustments to learning?
“
“
Margaret Heritage, 2007, p. 141
In formative assessment, students are
active participants with their teachers,
sharing learning goals and understand-
ing how their learning is progressing,
what next steps they need to take, and
how to take them.
In the formative assessment pro-
cess, teachers intentionally plan
instruction, periodically check for
student understanding in order to
monitor student learning, and make
any necessary instructional adjust-
ments to promote student learning.
As active partners in the process,
students need structured support to
use evidence from their learning and
to make adjustments to their future
learning processes.
Teachers can help students develop
greater competence in this area by
ensuring students have opportunities
to receive and reect on feedback
they receive. By providing time for
revisions, modeling, practicing with
tools and resources, and facilitating
the process, teachers can support
students to use the feedback
they receive to move their
learning forward.
Adjustments to learning
dened
Adjustments to learning is the
process in which students receive
feedback that they can use to make
adjustments in their learning tactics
and set goals in order to improve their
current and future work.
Applications to practice
The teacher can support students in
their use of feedback to make adjust-
ments in their learning by:
1. ensuring students receive
feedback—from self, from peers,
or from the teacher;
2. modeling how to use feedback
to adjust learning tactics;
3. providing opportunities for stu-
dents to use the feedback; and
4. supporting students to set
goals and make adjustments
in learning tactics based on
the feedback.
Teachers and students can engage in
regular classroom structures and rou-
tines in which they gather evidence
and analyze student work to provide
meaningful feedback on a regular
basis (see related Learning Points:
What is gathering evidence of student
understanding? What is feedback?
FAMEMichigan.org
43
2021
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
FAMEMichigan.org
The information presented here supports learning about the 5 Components and 13 Elements of the formative assessment practice, as dened
by Michigan’s Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) program.
To learn more
Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do?
Margaret Heritage. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–146.
http://www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications/Archive/
pdf/k0710her.pdf
What do we mean by formative assessment?
Learning Point (Michigan Assessment Consortium, 2016).
bit.ly/LP-FormativeAssessment
What is self-assessment? and What is
peer assessment?). It is important for
teachers to model the metacognitive
and self-regulation processes that
students will need to learn in order to
use feedback to make adjustments to
their learning. Students develop skills
and knowledge through self- and
peer assessment to develop student
agency and self-regulation. Teachers
must explicitly teach self- and peer
assessment skills to students and
provide regular time in the classroom
for students to use feedback, monitor
their learning, and identify next steps.
Student self- and peer assessment
involves students reecting on the
learning goal, success criteria, and
student work. Teachers help stu-
dents understand what constitutes
quality work for a given learning
target through modeling and explicit
instruction. The teacher can provide
anchor papers or models of pro-
cient achievement, examples of work
at various stages, and the use of
feedback to advance student work
toward desired learning goals. In this
way, the teacher can support stu-
dents to internalize an understanding
about the quality of work. Through
this process, students consider their
progress and reect on their current
understanding relative to the learning
goal and what steps they need to take
to close the gap.
In self-assessment, students gen-
erate internal feedback to guide
their adjustments to learning. Peer
assessment activates students to
be resources for one another. Teach-
ers use quality, formative feedback
themselves as well as model and
References
Absolum, M., Flockton, L., Hattie, J.,
Hipkins, R., & Reid, I. (2009). Direc-
tions for assessment in New Zealand:
Developing students’ assessment
capabilities. Unpublished paper pre-
pared for the Ministry of Education.
Heritage, M. (2007). Formative
assessment: What do teachers need
to know and do? Phi Delta Kappan,
89(2), 140-146
Wiliam, D. (2006). Formative assess-
ment: Getting the focus right. Educa-
tional assessment, 11(3-4), 283-289.
“
“
Directions for Assessment in New Zealand, 2009
Students who have well developed
assessment capabilities are able and
motivated to access, interpret, and
use information from quality
assessment in ways that arm or
further their learning.
teach students to provide quality
feedback to one another. Students
continually ask, “Where am I going in
my learning?” Then, they review their
work and skills to determine, “Where
am I now?” Then students consider,
“Where to next?” Over time, students
can begin to develop their capacity
to reect on their own work and
make adjustments in their skills
and performance in relation to the
learning target.
Teachers can also support students
to set goals in their learning as
they reect on their current level of
understanding and learn to make
adjustments in their learning tactics.
Modeling the process with one goal
for the entire class can be helpful for
students to learn the process. Then,
students can create individual goals
for themselves based on their cur-
rent skill level to attain the learning
target or broader learning goals.”
The students may record their goals
in individual notebooks and monitor
their progress using different sources
of data.
Students can further develop their
ability to make adjustments to learn-
ing based on feedback by engaging
in class discussions, modeling their
process in front of the class, and
working in small groups and one-on-
one conferences to reect on how
feedback might inform their future
work. When students have consistent
opportunities to reect on their own
strategies and learn new approaches,
they are able to build on their current
understanding and incorporate new
strategies that meet their needs. The
teacher can revisit previous learning
strategies with students to reinforce
the changes and ensure the ongoing
development of their learning.
“The research shows that the person
providing the feedback benets just
as much as the recipient, because
they are forced to internalize the
learning intentions and success
criteria in the context of someone
else’s work, which is less emotionally
charged than one’s own work.”
(Wiliam, 2006, p. 5)
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
NOTES
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Closing
There are many aspects to the formative assessment process, and learning to implement
them well takes time (two or more years), as well as effort, personal experience, and
collaboration with others. With continued practice, teachers can learn to use these
components and elements effectively in their daily instructional activities, thus improving
both their teaching and their students’ learning. The FAME program provides a convenient
way for educators to learn more about the formative assessment process and begin to
implement it effectively in their classrooms.
Engaging in this work enables the teacher to develop his or her ability to understand and
use the formative assessment process to engage students in their own growth, monitor their
progress, and guide future teaching and learning decisions. Throughout this process, the
teacher will learn to model processes that support students to examine their own learning
as well as the work of other students in relation to specific criteria. The teacher will also
engage students in multiple ways of demonstrating their knowledge and skill. Competence
in these various areas and the ability to integrate the entire formative assessment process
develops over time. We encourage readers of this introductory resource to choose to engage
in the longer-term learning process necessary to go beyond knowing about the formative
assessment process to capably using the formative assessment process oneself and having
students who can do so as well. This is a journey well-worth taking!
“The FAME program provides a
convenient way for educators
to learn more about the
formative assessment process
and begin to implement it
effectively in their classrooms.”
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
Frequently Asked Questions
and Answers about the
Formative Assessment Process
1. I often see the term “formative assessments.” How is that different from the
formative assessment process?
Answer: The term “formative assessments” (with an -s on the end) actually refers to
interim/benchmark tests that are periodically administered to students. The formative
assessment process refers to activities that teachers and students engage in daily during
instruction. For more detail, read the following Learning Point: “Formative assessmentS
vs. formative assessment: The ‘s’ makes a difference.”
https://tinyurl.com/3cw47mrd
2. We have a grading policy that requires grades for assignments that are designed
to gather evidence of student understanding. How do I navigate grading and
formative assessment?
Answer: The goal of the formative assessment process is to encourage students to
take ownership of their own learning, striving to achieve the targets for their learning.
Grades tend to be summative in that students who receive high grades may feel that
no additional learning is needed, while students who receive low grades may feel that
improvement is impossible, especially if initial low performances are to be “averaged”
with later higher grades (which is a very harmful grading practice). One strategy to
mitigate this is to award grades that reflect current learning status, not an over-time
combination of low initial grades and later higher grades.
3. I want to begin right away implementing formative assessment. What is the
best way to get started?
Answer: After reading about the components and elements, teachers should invite
colleagues to engage in collaborative learning to use selected elements, reflecting on their
current use and selecting one or more elements to seek to improve. Working with colleagues
will provide the support and accountability needed for educators to work long-term to
improve their instructional and the learning of their students. Join the FAME program!
4. What are some ways administrators can best support teachers to learn about the
formative assessment process?
Answer: Supportive schools have administrators who make time available for teachers
to work together to learn about and learn to use the formative assessment process. They
also reinforce the challenging work of educators to reflect on their instructional practices
and improve their use of the formative assessment process. For more detail, read, “What
do Administrators Need to Know about the Formative Assessment Process?”
https://tinyurl.com/y4zjspbf
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5. What are some additional resources to learn more about the formative
assessment process?
Answer: The FAME program offers an extensive library of resources to Coaches and
Learning Teams, including a helpful Introduction to FAME for Coaches. In addition, the
FAME Website at www.FAMEMichigan.org offers a wide variety of resources that are
useful for readers who wish to know more about the formative assessment process.
These include:
• Learning Point: What do we mean by the formative assessment process?
https://tinyurl.com/yad5w4an
• Learning Point: What conditions are necessary for successful implementation of
formative assessment?
https://tinyurl.com/y8amukep
• FAME Components & Elements at a Glance
(includes links to 2-page “Learning Point” handouts describing each Element)
http://famemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FAME-Comps-and-Elements-Table-
and-FA-Graphic.pdf
• Why the Formative Assessment Process Matters: for FAME participants who wish
to share the nature and advantages of using the formative assessment process with
others. Audience: Students and their families, teachers, school administrators, local
policymakers — anyone who is not familiar with FAME or the formative assessment
process.
https://famemichigan.org/why-the-formative-assessment-process-matters/
• Case Studies: describe innovative approaches to FAME participation that might inspire
replication elsewhere.Explore these success stories! Audience: FAME Coaches and
Learning Team Members
https://famemichigan.org/research-and-development/#case-studies
• FOCUS on FAME: documents that describe useful ideas for FAME participants based on
research by the FAME R&D Team. Audience: FAME Coaches and Learning Team Members
https://famemichigan.org/research-and-development/#focus-on-fame
• Going Deeper Guides: provide extensive information and ideas for FAME participants
who wish to deepen their understanding and increase their use of selected formative
assessment practices. Audience: Returning FAME Coaches and Learning Team Members
Contact Kim Young at [email protected] to request a list of available Going
Deeper Guides.
• Content-Area Formative Assessment Guides: These guides illustrate and describe
how the use of the formative assessment process in content areas can both improve
teachers’ disciplinary understanding and use of the formative assessment process.
Audience: FAME Coaches and Learning Team Members.
Contact Kim Young at [email protected] to request a list of available Going
Deeper Guides.
A compiled list of all current FAME resources is available for download at http://
famemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/FAME-Resource-Compendium.pdf
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Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
References
CCSSO, FAST SCASS. (2018). Revising the definition of formative assessment. Washington,
DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.
Kintz, et al. (2018). FAME Learning Guide: Developing and Implementing the Formative
Assessment Process in Michigan. Mason, MI: Michigan Assessment Consortium.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of educational research,
77(1), 81-112.
Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems.
Instructional science, 18(2), 119-144.
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NOTES
Overview of the FAME Formative Assessment Process
www.michigan.gov/formativeassessment
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