6 Formative Assessments You Can Use Today

Formative assessments give students a chance to show where they are in their learning. Teachers can use the information provided on formative assessments to plan instruction, form groups, or initiate remediation. Formative assessments don't have to be fancy or take a lot of time to plan, and there are many options.

 Here are a few examples of formative assessments that are easy to implement and adapt to different grade levels and subject areas:

1. 60 Second Summary

After instruction, give students 60 seconds to write as much as they can about the topic. This can be on a large index card, sheet of paper, or digitally if you prefer. Read through students' responses to check for understanding. Make note of any area of instruction that may need clarifying or reteaching.

2. Draw A Picture

Students of all ages will enjoy drawing a picture to show what they have learned. The picture can be drawn on an unlined index card or a blank sheet of paper. Encourage students to label their pictures and use descriptions as needed. Check for understanding and perhaps invite a few students to share their pictures.

3. Exit Tickets

Exit tickets come in many varieties and can be general or specific to a particular lesson. A simple exit ticket would be to have students respond to a question during or at the end of a lesson using a sticky note. Students write their responses and stick the note on the board or on a prepared chart. Printable exit tickets provide variety. They can be used at the end of a lesson and collected or used as a ticket out the door. Students love these sports theme exit tickets that can be used with just about any subject area!

Or perhaps your kids prefer to be rock stars!

4. Make A Connection

Research shows that we learn new information by connecting it to what we already know. Ask students to respond to "This reminds me of...." They can be encouraged to relate the lesson to an experience that they have had, a book or article they have read, a person that they know, or something that has occurred in the world. 

5. Hand Signals

Students raise up fingers to indicate understanding. This is perhaps the quickest way to assess students' understanding. Simply ask the class how they feel they are doing with a topic and let them respond. These charts go from 1 to 5. Gotta love it when the students hold up 10 fingers to let you know they feel so confident that they are off the charts!

6. 3 - 2 - 1 Exit Slips

These exit slips are a bit more specific. You can make the numbers represent whatever you wish, but here are some common ones for students to list:

3 things you learned, or 3 new concepts

2 questions you still have, or 2 connections you have made, or 2 new words or phrases you have learned

1 opinion you have, or a picture that shows your understanding

Formative assessments are quick, easy, and useful!

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