Formative assessments are a form of an evaluation tool that is employed to assess the depth of understanding during the learning process. This in-process continuous assessment technique ensures that no child is left lagging in a concept. Teachers must have access to formative assessment tools as part of their remote learning strategy. They must know what their students are understanding from one week to the next. The instructors can tailor their classes to address their learning gaps once they have identified them.
Features Of Good Formative Assessment Tools
The following features should be present in a good formative assessment tool:
- It should be goal-oriented and based on what we do daily. A good formative assessment is precise, tangible, and measurable since it is intended to assist students in performing well.
- Formative assessment tools need to concentrate on higher-order thinking abilities. We are not just concerned about the nuts and bolts but also need to know if the students are using the higher levels of resources to submit, analyze, evaluate, and develop.
- It should keep students responsible for their results. In and of itself, group evaluation is beneficial. Furthermore, pinpointing the specific needs of the person will provide you with direction in which to guide your teaching, ensuring that the students are successful.
- Good formative assessment tools should be smooth, and you should not have to alter your daily routine to accommodate the exam. Some formative assessment tools have a steep learning curve, while others are simple to understand even though you have no prior experience. You may need to incorporate formative evaluation into your lesson. Some of it can be done on the fly, but others will need planning.
Top Formative Assessment Tools For Classroom
Students can be motivated to pursue learning goals as a regular and continuous part of their everyday routine using digital formative assessment tools. Here are five free formative assessment tools to assist you in integrating technology into your classroom. The list includes a wide range of features and alternatives to aid in the development of your formative assessment strategy.
1) Socrative:
Socrative offers real-time scoring on quizzes and questions. According to various online reviews from teachers and qualified reviewers alike, Socrative is one of the top-rated formative assessment tools for teachers. It is an immersive digital platform that allows you to quiz, score, and test on the fly; “learning at the speed of light.” Fast queries for immediate input, class counts to see who is logging in, and complete quizzes for deeper comprehension are all available to teachers.
Build surveys, activities, and shuffle questions with or without student names using this powerful method. Quizzes are graded in real-time and can be saved for later use for different classes. It operates on MS Windows, Android and iOS phones, tablets, laptops, and other computers. It is completely free for students, apart from being straightforward, adaptable, and aligned with Common Core.
2) Padlet:
Padlet is a virtual wall where students can share their thoughts on a given subject. You may embed audio and video in addition to written speech and have students answer in the form of a structured discussion. It is also possible to create separate Padlet for different classes or groups of students using password protection. For instance, using Padlet, you might have students identify keywords and address areas of agreement and disagreement with what their classmates have written.
3) Google Forms:
Google Forms is an easy-to-use, COPPA/FERPA-compliant tool. What is the best reason to use Google Forms as an educational formative assessment tool? The ease with which it can be used. Even if it is your first time using Google Forms, it is a favorite among teachers because it is fast and easy to build and automatically grade quizzes.
Make multiple-choice or short-answer quizzes with a simple answer key that includes point assignments for each problem. Students can quickly respond to questions by selecting an option from a drop-down menu, typing a quick text response, or uploading a short YouTube video to Google. For a fast bird’s-eye view of the class as a whole, teachers can view graphs and summaries of often missed responses.
4) Mentimeter:
Among evaluation instruments used in the classroom, professional reviewers and teachers give Mentimeter a high rating. It includes a listening skills assessment, icebreakers, formative tests, post-lecture surveys, and polls, as well as other educational models for the classroom. Create quizzes and assessments, monitor academic standards, engage students, and even lead a teacher training session.
Mentimeter not only gives everyone a voice but also has a handy feature that allows you to silence extra-loud students. It is completely free to use and allows you to build and host live quizzes using templates or from scratch. For a few dollars a month, schools and universities can get a Pro edition that includes unlimited question slides per presentation, exports, unlimited quizzes, and help. The user interface is easy on a 101 basis, with tech support available to smooth out the kinks.
5) Kahoot:
Kahoot‘s game-based approach to learning and evaluation is a hit with students. Teachers can select from over 40 million ready-to-use learning games or quickly build their own. Organize games in real-time or as tasks.
Students may also make their own “kahoots” to share with their peers, making the activity more social. In minutes, you can create a quiz game, import questions from spreadsheets, and check their 500-million question bank. Want to incorporate sketches from your iOS device or merge multiple mini-kahoots into a single assessment? That is something Kahoot can do, besides incorporating YouTube videos into your questions.
Teachers can apply multiple choice or true/false questions to the evaluation games, which students can schedule individually or in groups. The games are paced and graded, with the instructor establishing point scales. You can also download basic spreadsheet reports.
Concluding Remarks
In the physical classroom, it is simple to measure student success. We take for granted that paper assessments, quizzes, and spot questions are among the instruments used in the evaluation. For personalized virtual learning, the best online evaluation tools for teachers provide the same degree of input.
Formative assessment has the advantage of being completed when students are still learning. Formative evaluation methods that are fast and enjoyable are ideal for checking in on certain learning journeys. One final piece of advice is to choose one formative appraisal and personalize it. Do not attempt too many at once. Use one before the students have figured out how to do it and you have figured out how to interpret the data.
Read more about assessments on other blogs.
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