Formative Assessment for Learning: a natural part of the learning process

As Dawn Rogier pointed out in her discussion of assessment literacy many of us, both learners and teachers fear tests (Rogier, 2014). Assessment to many means being judged by others and not being able to measure up, the fear of failure haunts many learners and particularly those involved in high stakes tests where their degree or promotion at work may be at stake. It is not only learners who are affected either. Pressures on teachers together with time constraints may mean increased teaching to the test particularly in contexts where jobs may be influenced by successful exam results and classroom activities are often influenced by washback from exam requirements. The message from policy makers is that what is needed is higher standards and better results but it is not always clear how teachers and learners are supposed to work in the classroom to achieve those results. This discussion seeks to examine what assessment for learning is and to consider ways in which we already assess formatively every day suggesting a systematic approach to their classroom integration. The “for” in "formative assessment” reminds us this means assessing learner needs for learning and not only measuring learner performance or proficiency in summative assessment OF learning.