Assessment Strategies Article Response: Formative Assessment in Higher Education: Moves Towords Theory and the Enhancement of Pedagogic Practice By Mantez Yorke

Formative Assessment in Higher Education: Moves Towords Theory and the Enhancement of Pedagogic Practice By Mantez Yorke


"Formative assessment is a concept that is more complex than it might appear at first sight. The basic Idea seems simple enough - the central purpose of formative assessment is to contribute to students learning through the provision of information about performance" (479)

What I liked about this article is the approach and the attention that the research had on using formative assessments. A few of the main points in the first page are quite interesting especially the section that distinguishes between formative and summative assessment.

"Formative because the student is expected to learn from whatever feedback is provided, and summative because the grade awarded contributes to the overall grade at the end of the study unit." (480)

I have had trouble trying to understand the difference. I always thought that assessments are just one or the other, but why can't there be both? You need both to accurately judge if you and the students are hitting the objectives and the goals set for the lesson.

Another interesting thing about this article is the effect that formative assessment and how “formative assessment  works – it is effective in promoting student learning across a wide range of educational settings.”  It gives direct and quality feedback that supports any type, kind, socio-economic status, etc. of schools because formative assessment adjusts to the students. This feedback can be used by the students to reflect and grow with a long term impact.