5 Formative Assessments for the English Classroom

Greetings! After a long day at work, you’ve decided to come to my blog and read about formative assessments? Shouldn’t you be enjoying your time off!

Oh, you’re at work? Shouldn’t you be teaching!

Planning period? Ok. That’s better. Let’s talk about formative assessments, shall we?

Formative assessments are an invaluable tool as an English teacher. They give us the data we need to ensure that our students understand our learning targets and that we’re able to move along without leaving anyone behind.

Now, with that behind us, let’s talk about 5 formative assessments for the English teacher:

5. Anecdotal Check Sheet

Never forget the handy, dandy check sheet. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it gives quick evidence to show that students actually understood what you were teaching. The most important thing to remember when using check sheets is that have to make sure their work is right and not just completed. Don’t check them off for just completing it!

4. Exit Slip

Exit slips are a pretty simple concept. Within the last few minutes of the class, ask students to complete a task and take it up as they walk out the door. A simple read through shows who got it and who didn’t. The only problem with exit slips? The students are gone when it comes time to correct them. Since instruction needs to be immediate, exit slips tend to lose their effectiveness.

3. Sticky Notes

Formative Assessment stems from the ability to read a student’s work and know that they understood your instruction. One of my favorite ways to do this is to place sticky notes on each student’s desk and have them answer a specific question testing the learning target at certain times throughout the period. A quick read through will show who got it and who didn’t.

2. Pair and Share

I LOVE pair and share activities. It’s not as much an actual formative assessment as it is a simple compliment to the others on this list. Think of it this way: You’ve given out sticky notes and have now taken them up. Once you’ve determined who understood your material, you can easily pair up your students into small instructional teams. Simply put, 10 teachers are better than 1. 

1.       Student/Teacher Conferencing

I’m a huge proponent of student/teacher conferencing. It can be difficult to teach 30+ children in a class, but getting to know each and every one of them as an individual is a different animal. By student/teacher conferencing, you can kill two birds with one stone: you get to better understand a student’s progress in the class, and perhaps also have a few minutes to talk with your student about their aspirations, hobbies, and other interests that may relate to your teachings. However, there is one problem… student/teacher conferences take forever. You’re looking at an entire period if you decide to do this so be sure to have a way to keep your student’s busy, or else it’s going to be a long day.