Why is there often a gap between knowing formative assessment is powerful and actually doing it consistently in the classroom? by

Time

cmclariday — 2025-10-06 18:14:20 UTC

Students do not take low-stakes tasks seriously because they are not "a grade."

Transitions

ivy_franklin — 2025-10-07 15:18:55 UTC

Transitioning from one activity/task to another is one of the easiest times to lose kids to distraction. Sometimes it feels easiest to just keep chugging forward instead of risking that!

Curriculum

2025-10-07 15:19:39 UTC

Curriculum drives specific cool downs that are not always student friendly.

Uncertainty of how to apply formative assessments to different content areas (science vs. ELA; math vs. social studies, etc.)

2025-10-07 15:19:48 UTC

Teachers aren't sure how to apply formative assessments to different content areas and/or lesson types, because formatives seem to lend themselves to more formulaic or sequential learning tasks.

Pacing and time restraints

2025-10-07 15:20:06 UTC

Making sure all content is covered in a timely manner to match the pacing guides.

Resources

2025-10-07 15:20:08 UTC

Teachers may want to use formatives more, but not be informed on all of the different types/tools/styles/ways to incorporate them into given curriculums

Standards

2025-10-07 15:20:08 UTC

So Many Standards

Culture

ivy_franklin — 2025-10-07 15:21:10 UTC

Asking students to participate in some types of formative assessment requires vulnerability. It can be hard to push students to be okay with not knowing the answer.

Formative Assessment During Instruction VS A Formative Assessment in Schoology

2025-10-07 15:21:18 UTC

There's a value in both. Formative Assessments throughout a lesson provides me the knowledge if my kids are getting it. A quick "Small Group" playing together or answering a question during the lesson can let me know if I need to stay on the same topic, or if we are ready to move on!

Asking each section to play as a small group isn't something I have to include in the gradebook as a Formative Assessment, but the knowledge IS a Formative Assessment.

Time

2025-10-07 15:22:15 UTC

Getting the students prepared for the formative in 5 mins when transitioning is difficult

Value of Formative Assessments

2025-10-07 15:22:29 UTC

Students see formative assessments as busy work, not worth their time. Showing the students that the feedback is more valuable than the grade.

Formative Assessment Gap

2025-10-07 15:22:29 UTC

During certain points in the quarter there are time constraints. Also, I think there is an underappreciation of the value of formative assessments. If used correctly, formative assessments can gage the overall knowledge and understanding of each student.

Schoology and Formative Assessments?

2025-10-07 15:25:05 UTC

You can create tests in Schoology that more or less "Auto Grade". Could this be utilized more as Formative Assessments for core teachers to alleviate the burden of grading additional materials, provides additional data, and adds more to the gradebook?

Atmosphere

2025-10-07 15:25:06 UTC

I feel that one factor is the atmosphere of the classroom. Teacher needs set a tone for the students to engage in learning. Make them feel that they are ready to learn and they will leave the classroom feeling fulfilled- welcome them with an encouraging word or phrase written on the board

2025-10-07 15:25:58 UTC

There’s always a gap because while teachers know formative assessment is valuable, it’s not always clear how to make it a natural, engaging part of everyday teaching. It takes time, trial and error, and sometimes it just slips with everything else going on.