Implementing formative assessment: student teachers’ experiences on placements

Abstract

Drawing on the principles of formative assessment identified by the Assessment Reform Group in England, Assessment is for Learning was a major Scottish initiative to improve children’s learning. This paper surveys the implementation of formative assessment strategies during school placements by three cohorts of final‐year Bachelor of Education students (BEd4) at one Scottish university. Also, use of formative assessment by one cohort of Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) students at the university is compared with that of the most recent BEd4 cohort. Factors students identified that supported or inhibited implementation of formative assessment are reviewed. The importance of positive support on campus and placements is discussed.

Keywords:

• initial teacher education students
• formative assessment
• classroom strategies
• support and barriers
• survey

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank:

• the students for use of course assignments and answering surveys;

• the Scottish Executive Education Department’s Qualifications, Assessment and Curriculum Division for grants from the Assessment is for Learning programme to fund this research in 2005 and 2006. As a condition, a preliminary version using some of this data was published in Assessment is for Learning Newsletter 7: 8–9. Dundee, UK: Learning and Teaching Scotland;

• the Research Committee, School of Education, the University of Aberdeen for supporting my release to write up this research;

• members of the Higher Education AifL Group for encouraging me to present a preliminary version of this paper within the AifL symposium at the Scottish Educational Research Association conference in Perth, Scotland in November 2005.