# data[].attributes.headline
Glossary Of Education Reform: Formative Assessment Article

# data[].attributes.subject
Glossary Of Education Reform: Formative Assessment Article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support .

The general goal of formative assessment is to collect detailed information that can be used to improve instruction and student learning while it's happening. What makes an assessment "formative" is not the design of a test, technique, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used-i.e., to inform in-process teaching and learning modifications.

Formative assessments are commonly contrasted with summative assessments, which are used to evaluate student learning progress and achievement at the conclusion of a specific instructional period-usually at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. In other words, formative assessments are for learning, while summative assessments are of learning. Or as assessment expert Paul Black put it, "When the cook tastes the soup, that's formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that's summative assessment." It should be noted, however, that the distinction between formative and summative is often fuzzy in practice, and educators may hold divergent interpretations of and opinions on the subject.

Many educators and experts believe that formative assessment is an integral part of effective teaching. In contrast with most summative assessments, which are deliberately set apart from instruction, formative assessments are integrated into the teaching and learning process. For example, a formative-assessment technique could be as simple as a teacher asking students to raise their hands if they feel they have understood a newly introduced concept, or it could be as sophisticated as having students complete a self-assessment of their own writing (typically using a outlining the criteria) that the teacher then reviews and comments on. While formative assessments help teachers identify learning needs and problems, in many cases the assessments also help students develop a stronger understanding of their own academic strengths and weaknesses. When students know what they do well and what they need to work harder on, it can help them take greater responsibility over their own learning and academic progress.

While the same assessment technique or process could, in theory, be used for either formative or summative purposes, many summative assessments are unsuitable for formative purposes because they do not provide useful feedback. For example, standardized-test scores may not be available to teachers for months after their students take the test (so the results cannot be used to modify lessons or teaching and better prepare students), or the assessments may not be specific or fine-grained enough to give teachers and students the detailed information they need to improve.

The following are a few representative examples of formative assessments:

Questions that teachers pose to individual students and groups of students during the learning process to determine what specific concepts or skills they may be having trouble with. A wide variety of intentional questioning strategies may be employed, such as phrasing questions in specific ways to elicit more useful responses.

Specific, detailed, and constructive feedback that teachers provide on student work , such as journal entries, essays, worksheets, research papers, projects, ungraded quizzes, lab results, or works of art, design, and performance. The feedback may be used to revise or improve a work product, for example.

"Exit slips" or "exit tickets" that quickly collect student responses to a teacher's questions at the end of a lesson or class period. Based on what the responses indicate, the teacher can then modify the next lesson to address concepts that students have failed to comprehend or skills they may be struggling with. "Admit slips" are a similar strategy used at the beginning of a class or lesson to determine what students have retained from previous learning experiences .

Self-assessments that ask students to think about their own learning process, to reflect on what they do well or struggle with, and to articulate what they have learned or still need to learn to meet course expectations or learning standards.

Peer assessments that allow students to use one another as learning resources. For example, "workshopping" a piece of writing with classmates is one common form of peer assessment, particularly if students follow a rubric or guidelines provided by a teacher.

In addition to the reasons addressed above, educators may also use formative assessment to:

Refocus students on the learning process and its intrinsic value, rather than on grades or extrinsic rewards.

Encourage students to build on their strengths rather than fixate or dwell on their deficits. (For a related discussion, see growth mindset .)

Help students become more aware of their learning needs, strengths, and interests so they can take greater responsibility over their own educational growth. For example, students may learn how to self-assess their own progress and self-regulate their behaviors.

Give students more detailed, precise, and useful information. Because grades and test scores only provide a general impression of academic achievement, usually at the completion of an instructional period, formative feedback can help to clarify and calibrate learning expectations for both students and parents. Students gain a clearer understanding of what is expected of them, and parents have more detailed information they can use to more effectively support their child's education.

Raise or accelerate the educational achievement of all students, while also reducing learning gaps and achievement gaps .

Reform

While the formative-assessment concept has only existed since the 1960s, educators have arguably been using "formative assessments" in various forms since the invention of teaching. As an intentional school-improvement strategy, however, formative assessment has received growing attention from educators and researchers in recent decades. In fact, it is now widely considered to be one of the more effective instructional strategies used by teachers, and there is a growing body of literature and academic research on the topic.

Schools are now more likely to encourage or require teachers to use formative-assessment strategies in the classroom, and there are a growing number of professional-development opportunities available to educators on the subject. Formative assessments are also integral components of personalized learning and other educational strategies designed to tailor lessons and instruction to the distinct learning needs and interests of individual students.

Debate

While there is relatively little disagreement in the education community about the utility of formative assessment, debates or disagreements may stem from differing interpretations of the term. For example, some educators believe the term is loosely applied to forms of assessment that are not "truly" formative, while others believe that formative assessment is rarely used appropriately or effectively in the classroom.

Another common debate is whether formative assessments can or should be graded. Many educators contend that formative assessments can only be considered truly formative when they are ungraded and used exclusively to improve student learning. If grades are assigned to a quiz, test, project, or other work product, the reasoning goes, they become de facto summative assessments-i.e., the act of assigning a grade turns the assessment into a performance evaluation that is documented in a student's academic record, as opposed to a diagnostic strategy used to improve student understanding and preparation before they are given a graded test or assignment.

Some educators also make a distinction between "pure" formative assessments-those that are used on a daily basis by teachers while they are instructing students-and "interim" or "benchmark" assessments, which are typically periodic or quarterly assessments used to determine where students are in their learning progress or whether they are on track to meeting expected learning standards. While some educators may argue that any assessment method that is used diagnostically could be considered formative, including interim assessments, others contend that these two forms of assessment should remain distinct, given that different strategies, techniques, and professional development may be required.

Some proponents of formative assessment also suspect that testing companies mislabel and market some interim standardized tests as "formative" to capitalize on and profit from the popularity of the idea. Some observers express skepticism that commercial or prepackaged products can be authentically formative, arguing that formative assessment is a sophisticated instructional technique, and to do it well requires both a first-hand understanding of the students being assessed and sufficient training and professional development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet [...]

# data[].attributes.headline
Schoolsweek: New Ofsted inspection framework: What schools need to know Article

# data[].attributes.subject
Schoolsweek: New Ofsted inspection framework: What schools need to know Article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ofsted has published the finalised version of its new inspection framework, which will govern all school visits from this September.

The watchdog's leaders have made a number of changes to the framework since the draft was published earlier this year, in response to a consultation to which more than 15,000 people and organisations responded.

Here are the main changes schools need to know about.

1. On-site preparation plans scrapped

Ofsted had proposed that the lead inspector would arrive on-site the afternoon before an inspection to do their preparation on-site.

The rationale was that inspectors could have more detailed discussions with headteachers before the inspection officially began.

But heads' groups warned this amounted to an earlier start, and others claimed it constituted a no-notice inspection because the inspector could arrive in as little as two-and-a-half hours after the first phone call.

In the consultation, the proposal was opposed by three quarters of respondents, so Ofsted has decided to scrap it and replace it with a 90-minute phonecall between the lead inspector and head the day before an inspection begins.

2. 'Good' small schools avoid two-day inspections

Plans to increase the length of time inspectors spend in previously 'good'-rated schools will go ahead, despite opposition.

More than half of respondents to Ofsted's consultation opposed a move to increase the length of so-called "short inspections" from one to two days.

There were particular concerns among those working in primary schools, six in ten of whom opposed the proposal, and the potential extra workload it could create for small schools.

As a result, Ofsted said that 'good' or non-exempt schools with 150 or fewer pupils on roll will continue to receive a one-day inspection.

3. Schools will get time to shake up their curriculums

Ofsted's new "quality of education" judgment will be implemented as planned after it received the backing of the majority of respondents.

However, the inspectorate is proposing to "phase in" part of the new framework which looks at the "intent" of schools' curriculums. This follows concerns that schools may want to review their curriculums in response to the new framework, but may not have time to do so before September.

Ofsted said during this transitional period, the judgment "will not be negatively affected if it is clear to an inspector that leaders have a plan for updating the curriculum and are taking genuine action to do so".

"We will review this transitional phase in the summer of 2020."

4. Ofsted will check whether bullying is tolerated, not whether it exists

The draft inspection framework proposed that Ofsted would look for an absence of bullying in determining how to grade a school on the behaviour and attitudes of its pupils.

The proposal prompted concerns that this approach may encourage schools to hide or fail to report bullying.

Today, Ofsted said it believed the concerns raised "may be justified", and has amended its criteria to place the emphasis on "whether or not providers tolerate bullying, harassment, violence, derogatory language and discriminatory behaviour and, crucially, how swiftly and effectively they take action if these issues occur".

"We have also made changes to the personal development grade criteria to allow inspectors to properly recognise the importance of high-quality pastoral support."

5. Heads' use of internal data will be assessed

Ofsted has announced it will proceed with its plans for inspectors not to look at schools' internal data during inspections, despite opposition from more than two thirds of respondents to the survey.

Forty-three per cent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposal, while 42 per cent were in favour.

Although it will implement the change as planned, Ofsted has also made clarification to its inspection handbook "to try to ease concerns" raised by those who objected.

The clarification recognises that school leaders draw on "a variety of sources when considering pupil performance, including internal assessment information". It explains that inspectors will consider "the actions taken by schools in response to whatever internal assessment information they have".

Inspectors will review the impact of those actions without reviewing the assessment information itself, Ofsted said.

6. Up-to-date private school judgments delayed to 2020

In its original draft framework, Ofsted proposed that it would start issuing up-to-date judgments following emergency "additional inspections" of the private schools it inspects.

At the moment, following such inspections, Ofsted simply rules on whether the independent school standards are being met, but does not issue schools with an updated graded judgment.

Today, Ofsted announced it will proceed with the proposal after receiving "very strong support" in the consultation.

However, the watchdog accepts that "designing the most effective way of doing this will take some time", and will therefore not implement the change until September 2020.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New Ofsted inspection framework: What schools need to know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ofsted has published the finalised version of its new inspection framework, which will govern all school visits from this September. The watchdog's leaders have made a number of changes to the framework since the draft was published earlier this year, in response to a consultation to which more than 15,000 people and organisations responded.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teach learning behaviours and use classroom management strategies Blog

# data[].attributes.subject
Teach learning behaviours and use classroom management strategies Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Recommendations 2 and 3 of The EEF Guidance Report focuses on classroom focused activities to improve behaviour.

Recommendation 2: Teach learning behaviours alongside managing misbehaviour.

Evidence suggests that the explicit teaching of learning behaviours can support behavior through a positive general climate for learning. Learning behaviours are those which support learning and promote engagement through self-regulation. This is directly correlated with behavior, as pupils who are engaged with their learning. Ellis and Tod's review of the literature in this area has led to the creation of a model which suggests that three pupil relationships impact on each other; relationships with themselves, with others, and with the curriculum. Learning behaviours fall within the remit of the school's influence (and individual teacher) and perhaps warrants more attention. A single learning behaviour can be placed at the centre of Ellis and Tod's model. This behaviour is influenced by the three relationships. For example, if ​'resilience' was put in the model, the emotions could be identified, but so could the social and cognitive factors. Considering these, a teacher could consider:

- Relationship with self - talking to the pupil about when they have given up and challenging them to persevere next time.
- Relationship with curriculum - ensure the pupil has appropriate work which is not too hard, but still challenging and rewarding when they stuck with it.
- Relationship with others - set a classroom culture where pupils are proud of sticking with things and not afraid to make mistakes.

Other learning behaviours to consider include: self-worth, pupil relationship with peers and teachers, collaborative learning, growth mindset, communication.

Carol Dweck's work on ​'growth mindset' is well known - the theory that intelligence is not a fixed factor but instead can be increased through effort. This is backed up by extensive evidence in the area of feedback, including the recommendation that feedback is provided about the task, and not on the person. Intrinsic motivation approaches are very well established, but extremely difficult to embed in schools. The practice has to be embedded in all practices, not placed superficially into assemblies or posters. It has to be present in all aspects of feedback and conversations with pupils.

Overall, there is a strong evidence base that teacher-pupil relationships are key to good pupil behavior.

Recommendation 3: Use classroom management strategies to support good classroom behavior

Behaviour management is an absolute priority for teachers, for obvious reasons. Supporting teachers in this challenging area is key to helping them to manage behavior, and therefore improve outcomes. The OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) reported a clear correlation between length in the profession and improving classroom climate. Supporting and understanding early career teachers is critical in helping them to become confident and skilled in behaviour management. It is beneficial for them to understand that it is normal for them to have more issues in this area than more experienced colleagues, and to ask for help when needed. They also need to know that universal classroom approaches do not work for all, and that some students will always need a more tailored approach.

For schools needing a fresh approach to classroom management, there may be established programmes which offer promise. The Incredible Years Classroom Management (TCM) programme ( www.incredibleyears.com) has been evaluated by several studies to have a positive effect in primary settings.

Putting in place clear reward systems can also improve pupil behaviour when used as part of a broader strategy. This is another way to encourage positive learning behaviours, although extensive evidence is not available on outcomes.

Overall, the combination of training teachers alongside delivering a rewards-focused reinforcement programme hold more promise.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Behaviour Blog 2: Teach learning behaviours and use classroom...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recommendations 2 and 3 of The EEF Guidance Report focuses on classroom focused activities to improve behaviour. Recommendation 2: Teach learning behaviours alongside managing misbehaviour. Evidence suggests that the explicit teaching of learning behaviours can support behavior through a positive general climate for learning. Learning behaviours are those which support learning and promote engagement through self-regulation.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sec-Ed: Strategies for managing behaviour Article

# data[].attributes.subject
Sec-Ed: Strategies for managing behaviour Article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Managing behaviour is often the biggest challenge for NQTs. As part of SecEd's NQT special edition, Matt Bromley discusses why students misbehave, how teachers can and should react in different circumstances, and offers 10 strategies for NQTs on how to manage behaviour

When we were boys, my brother and I used to play at being superheroes. We'd climb up onto the bannister at the top of the stairs, and propel ourselves forward so that we'd be stretched diagonally across the bulkhead. Looking down, it felt like we were flying.

But one day, as I stood atop the bannister and threw myself forwards, I misjudged the distance. My tiny fingers fell short of the wall, and I tumbled head-first down the stairs. As I lay at the bottom in a crumpled heap I realised that I was not superman. I was in fact a six-year-old boy with a dressing gown wrapped around his shoulders and underpants on the outside of his trousers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NQT Special: Strategies for managing behaviour

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Managing behaviour is often the biggest challenge for NQTs. As part of SecEd's NQT special edition, Matt Bromley discusses why students misbehave, how teachers can and should react in different circumstances, and offers 10 strategies for NQTs on how to manage behaviour

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Six recommendations for improving behaviour in schools

# data[].attributes.headline
EEF: Metacognition and Self Regulated Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
EEF: Metacognition and Self Regulated Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This animation aims to cut through the complexity that surrounds metacognition by providing a clear example of what it looks like in practice. It could be used to start colleague conversations, build staff knowledge when designing and delivering Effective Professional Development on metacognition.

https://youtu.be/sAik_RQY_Dg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
evidence suggests the use of ‘metacognitive strategies’ – which get pupils to think about their own learning - can be worth the equivalent of an additional +7 months’ progress when used well. however

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
while the potential impact of these approaches is very high

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
less is known about how to apply them effectively in the classroom.  this guidance report reviews the best available research to offer teachers and senior leaders practical advice on how to develop their pupils’ metacognitive skills and knowledge. the report has recommendations in seven areas and ‘myth busts’ common misconceptions teachers have about metacognition.  for example

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
some teachers think they need to teach metacognitive approaches in ‘learning to learn’ or ‘thinking skills’ sessions. but the report warns that metacognitive strategies should be taught in conjunction with specific subject content as pupils find it hard to transfer these generic tips to specific tasks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Apply metacognitive strategies in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies

Ofsted guidance on inspecting maintained schools and academies in England under the education inspection framework.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ofsted guidance on inspecting maintained schools and academies in England under the education inspection framework.

# data[].attributes.headline
Dylan Wiliam's 5 Formative Assessment Strategies

# data[].attributes.subject
Dylan Wiliam's 5 Formative Assessment Strategies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In many of Dylan Wiliam's talks and publications he references five 'key strategies' that support the implementation of effective formative assessment. The five strategies each get a chapter in his excellent book Embedding Formative Assessment (2011) which builds on the work he developed with other colleagues in the 90s and 00s.

The five strategies were expressed as early as 2005:

1. Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions

2. Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning

3. Providing feedback that moves learners forward

4. Activating students as learning resources for one another

5. Activating students as owners of their own learning

Leahy, Lyon, Thompson and Wiliam (2005).
Very commonly, Wiliam presents these ideas in this helpful table, linking the strategies to core assessment concepts:

In my work as a consultant and teacher trainer, I give a lot of 'evidence-informed' advice to teachers. Of late, this has been influenced largely by discussions about a knowledge-rich curriculum and my reading of Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction, cognitive load theory, and various other papers linking cognitive psychology to classroom practice.

However, it occurred to me recently that most of this overlaps entirely with Wiliam's five strategies and that is what I want to explore here. To some extent, schools and teachers often feel they have have 'done AfL to death' in countless CPD sessions over the last 15 years. Time was when you couldn't get a job unless you said 'AfL' about 12 times in an interview. Sadly, my sense is that the wisdom at the heart of Wiliam's ideas about responsive teaching/formative assessment gets washed out either a) by the delusion that the strategies are already embedded in day-to-day practice or b) by the sense that this is a box ticked and people are really ready to move to the new thing. Truth be told, a lot of 'AfL' was and is a mile away from the formative assessment practice Wiliam is talking about.

Essentially, I feel that, among the important things every teacher should know, the five strategies should be there, part of the core curriculum for teacher development. Here's how I see it all connecting:
1.Clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions
Wiliam says 'if you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there'. This is largely about curriculum planning. I read 'learning intentions' as meaning: what do we want all students to know and be able to do? In the detail, this means spelling out what knowledge - in all its forms - they should have and how to apply this knowledge in new contexts. It chimes perfectly with the wave of work being done around curriculum design. It also resonates with the strand of Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction around sequencing concepts, providing models and appropriate scaffolding.

It also means 'what does excellence look like?'. This connects to ideas about assessment and comparative judgement and teachers knowing the standards. Significantly, the implication from Wiliam is that in 'clarifying, understanding and sharing' - teachers, students and their peers all need to know both the knowledge requirements and the criteria for excellence in any performed task. This goes far, far beyond writing a mandatory one-line LO on the board at the start of every lesson! (Aarrghh!). It suggests a lot of very explicit exposition and discussion about the target knowledge and the features of any endeavour that constitute ever increasing degrees of success.

This, in turn, feeds into ideas about self-regulation and metacognition. Successful learners will be good at self-regulation, planning and monitoring their progress towards learning goals in a deliberate self-directed manner. Knowing the learning intentions very well is essential for that process to work.

So the links here are numerous: curriculum, knowledge, standards, self-regulation, scaffolding, modelling.
2. Engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning
In some ways, this 'strategy' is a one-line summary of most of the rest of Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction. 'Discussions, tasks and activities' covers a lot of possibilities. At the centre of it is the idea of 'responsive teaching'. Instructional teaching has to be highly interactive so that teachers are getting feedback from their students about how well their schemas for the material in hand are forming and how fluent they are becoming retrieving and using what they've learned. The challenge for teachers is to involve as many students as possible which leads to the need for good questioning routines and good knowledge-check routines where the ratio of student involvement is high and the information received has a good diagnostic component.

Rosenshine talks about the need for checking for understanding and asking lots of questions in a probing style. Wiliam focuses on question design - including good diagnostic multiple choice questions - and the role of all-student response techniques.

Links: Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction. Shimamura's 'Generate-Evaluate' model. Ideas about retrieval practice. Nuthall's ideas about 'hidden lives' and the idea that we can't be remotely confident about learning taking place until we check - now, and again later.
3. Providing feedback that moves learners forward
Feedback is a thorny issue, woven into discussions about the use of formative and summative assessment, marking and workload, grading and the value of data as a tool to improve learner outcomes. The key in Wiliam's work is the emphasis on moving learners forward. It's this thinking that informed the ideas I expressed in this ' feedback as actions ' post.

Some of the key messages that Wiliam offers in relation to feedback that I cite very often are:

Feedback is only successful if students' learning improves - and this depends on their capacity to understand it and inclination to accept and act on it. It's got an interpersonal, motivational element that can't be brushed aside. Giving feedback isn't a purely technical, objective task - although it does have to suggest actions students can actually take rather than offering a nebulous retrospective critique.

The goal is to change the students' capacity to produce better work, not just to improve their work. Austin's Butterfly is wonderful - because it shows what effective feedback can achieve - but Austin has only truly benefitted if, later, he is more able to 'look like a scientist' or draw beautiful butterflies without feedback: he needs to be able to generate his own feedback and become more independent.

This links formative assessment to metacognition and self-regulation and Rosenshine's ideas about moving from guided to independent practice. If we're still reliant on external feedback to tell us if we've succeeded (SatNav style), then we've still got a long way to go. Effective learners can link their work to the success criteria and generate their own ongoing self-correcting feedback narrative.

Links: Ethic of excellence, Rosenshine guided to independent practice, self-regulation.
4. Activating students as learning resources for one another
I think this is the feature of Wiliam's five strategies that deserves more attention. All too often teachers create major bottlenecks by forcing all classroom interactions to pass through them. However, if teachers develop strong routines where students support each other's learning in a serious structured manner, then the ratio, quality and frequency of student interactions with the knowledge in hand can increase significantly. We can't have a dialogue with every student at once but they can all be involved in meaningful dialogues with each other to support the process of working out 'where the learner is' and 'how to get to where the learner is going'. This is where disciplined ' think pair share ' becomes so powerful.

Wiliam cites Slavin in showing that well-designed collaborative learning can yield significant gains - but it has to be done such that everyone is learning. There are so many ways to do this e.g students checking their partners' answers using all manner of quizzing formats and generative processes and elaborative-interrogative questions (why? how?). Pairs are probably the most efficient and effective use of this strategy - because of the ease of switching in and out of the interactions. If one person in a pair acts as the verifier for the other, using exemplars, fact sheets, mark schemes as a reference, the extent of retrieval practice and feedback can be increased hugely. Another example might be using structured dialogues for practising the use of language or rehearsing explanations and arguments. Provided that there is a strong process for evaluating students' responses for accuracy and quality, a high volume of peer-to-peer interactivity is powerful.

Links: Hattie's 'reciprocal teaching', Shimamura's 'think it, say it, teach it', Slavin's collaborative learning, Sumeracki and Weinstein on elaborative interrogative questions and retrieval practice.
5. Activating students as owners of their own learning
In all honesty, I find that implementation of the strategy behind this feel-good-phrase, often falls into the dust of 'noble intent' rather than delivering something tangible. However, it is actually highly actionable and links directly to many other ideas. 'Owning your own learning' is at the heart of strong self-regulation and metacognition: setting learning goals, planning, monitoring and evaluating success in tasks links to those goals; forming effective schemata that take account of big-picture questions and themes that inform subsequent conscious rehearsal and elaboration. However, these 'goals' are not broad brush life goals; they are learning goals - the next steps in improving writing fluency, science knowledge, confidence with maths and languages, physical fitness etc.

The point is that these characteristics of effective learning can be fostered by setting up good routines and expectations. Teachers can help students to know where they are going and where they are on the curriculum journey. This can be supported by:

giving students access to long-term topic plans, the syllabus, the wide scope overview before diving down into the details;

setting out milestones in the progress journey so that students can take their bearings and plan their own next steps through appropriate forms of practice, becoming increasingly independent.

setting out clear relational models for conceptual schema building - as per Shimamura's Relate in MARGE.

providing exemplars of performance at various levels of success up to a high/exceptional level so students can compare their own work against a scale and see for themselves where they are and what short-run learning goals might be achievable to move forward.

If a student knows for themself what they need to do in order to improve and gains the experience of being able to achieve success through applying effort to these self-determined goals, then they begin a positive upward spiral of confidence building, growth mindset-inducing, self-regulation that fuels even more success.

Links: Rosenshine: practice; Shimamura: Relate; Growth mindset; self-regulation.

To some extent I feel that the issue has been that 'AfL' or even 'formative assessment' has been too broad a term; too much of a catch-all, thereby allowing various degrees of corruption and dilution to take root. I think that it's when you get into understanding and deploying the five separate strategies that it finds form. That's the understanding of formative assessment that teachers need. It's powerful stuff, right there, where it's been for years.
Key References:
Wiliam, D., & Thompson, M. (2007). Integrating assessment with instruction: what will it take to make it work? In C. A. Dwyer (Ed.), The future of assessment: shaping teaching and learning(pp. 53-82). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Wilam, D (2011) Embedded Formative Assessment. Solution Tree Press.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Revisiting Dylan Wiliam's Five Brilliant Formative Assessment Strategies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In many of Dylan Wiliam's talks and publications he references five 'key strategies' that support the implementation of effective formative assessment. The five strategies each get a chapter in his excellent book Embedding Formative Assessment (2011) which builds on the work he developed with other colleagues in the 90s and 00s.

# data[].attributes.headline
EEF Teacher Feedback to improve Pupil Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
EEF Teacher Feedback to improve Pupil Learning