FORMATIVE

ASSESSMENT
THE STUDENT
ROLE

The following ten dimensions represent a set of

integrated formative assessment practices that could
be observed during a lesson. With the goal of making
explicit the characteristics of strong formative
assessment implementation, a corresponding rubric
has been created for each dimension.

Formative
Assessment
Definition Learning
Goals
Formative assessment is a
Student Criteria for
planned, ongoing process Self-Assessment Success
used by all students and
teachers during learning
and teaching to elicit and
use evidence of student
learning to improve student Questioning
Collaborative
understanding of intended Strategies to Elicit
Culture of
10
disciplinary learning Evidence of
Learning
outcomes, and support Student Learning
students to become more Dimensions
self-directed learners.
of Formative
This definition was created Assessment
Tasks and
by the Council of Chief
Student Peer
Practice Activities that
State School Officers Elicit Evidence of
Feedback
(CCSSO) through the Student Learning
Formative Assessment for
Students and Teachers
Using
State Collaborative on
Evidence to
Assessment and Student Descriptive
Inform
Teacher
Standards (FAST SCASS). Ongoing
Feedback
Teaching and
Extended Learning
Thinking
During
Discourse

Because the rubric language is primarily targeted at educators, this document is

intended to provide information specific to the important role of students in the process.
 For students to be
The active participants in
their own learning, they
Student must take an active role

Role in in formative assessment.

Formative The following table outlines

Assessment
the student role in a fully
implemented formative
assessment environment.

Using
Tasks and Evidence to
Questioning Activities to Inform
Learning
Strategies Elicit Ongoing
Goals
to Elicit Evidence of Teaching and
Teachers identify
Evidence of Learning Learning
“lesson-sized”
learning goals that
Criteria for Learning Teachers plan
should be clearly Success Teachers for tasks and
Teachers use
evidence to adjust
identified and Teachers clearly choreograph the activities that ongoing teaching
communicated to identify criteria classroom produce and learning and to
students and should that are aligned discussion and evidence of improve students'
help students make to learning build on student student learning achievement of
connections among goals and responses in (excluding intended
lessons within a communicated order to advance classroom instructional
larger sequence. to students. learning. discussions). outcomes.

1 2 3 4 5

Students... Students... Students... Students... Students...

Engage with Help develop or Engage fully in Participate fully in Are comfortable
learning goals so explore success classroom individual or small receiving feedback.
they understand the criteria so they questioning routines group learning tasks.
intended learning internalize what is by sharing and Work with teachers
and are prepared expected. building on peer Articulate how to use evidence of
to interact with ideas. learning tasks will their understanding
content. Refer to success support them in in order to move
criteria throughout Understand that meeting goals. their own learning
Refer to the the lesson as they questioning is not forward.
learning goals at provide feedback about “getting it Are willing to share
various times to peers and as right,” but about both what they know
throughout the they self-assess. sharing current and what they don’t
lesson as they understanding and know related to
check their exploring ideas to tasks.
progress. move learning
forward.
 Extended
Thinking Descriptive
During Student
Teacher Student
Discourse Self-
Feedback Peer Collaborative
Teachers develop Assessment
classroom routines
Teachers provide Feedback Culture of
Teachers model
and strategies (e.g.
evidence-based
Teachers model Learning effective
feedback that is
providing wait time, effective Teachers self-assessment
linked to the
encouraging feedback, and establish a practices and
learning goal and
students to ask develop structures classroom ensure students
criteria for success.
probing questions) in which giving culture in which have regular
They scaffold
that extend student and receiving teachers and opportunities to
supports so that
capacity to extend peer feedback is students are evaluate and
students are able
thinking during a routine feature partners in consider next steps
to use feedback
discourse. of learning. learning. in their learning.
effectively.

6 7 8 9 10

Students... Students... Students... Students... Students...

Participate in
discussions that
have give-and-take
with teacher and
peers.
Build on student and
teacher responses revise existing work
by sharing clarifying
comments, providing
feedback, or asking
probing questions.
Direct questions to
one another and
respond accordingly.
Apply teacher Review and provide Demonstrate a clear Routinely self-assess
feedback to take feedback to the focus on learning and clarify progress
next steps in their work of peers and collaboration. toward learning
own learning. (aligned to criteria). goals.
Articulate classroom
Use the feedback Receive and apply norms and how they Independently select
they received to structured feedback. support learning. learning strategies
that will help them
or address new Demonstrate respect move forward.
aspects of work. and appreciation for
multiple viewpoints. Monitor and adjust
learning tactics.
See themselves as
learning resources
for one another.

Adapted from: Wylie and Lyon (2016). Using the Formative
Assessment Rubrics, Reflection and Observation Tools to Support
Professional Reflection on Practice, p. 20. http://bit.ly/2uRExjM. Special
thanks to Nancy Gerzon and the WestEd team for their contributions.
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