Understanding Formative Assessment

The article by Sarah McManus, Understanding the CCSSO Definition of Formative Assessment, gave clear and helpful definitions of what formative assessment should look like in the classroom.  To me, this means that it described it as an action instead of a test or worksheet you give to students.  It is not to see if students understood the lesson but rather to see if they are learning the steps to comprehend the bigger picture.  Throughout the lesson, teachers should do check points to see if the students are following.
There are four words that Dr. McManus discussed in this article are process, during, feedback, and students.  Formative assessment is a PROCESS, not an end result.  It should be done throughout the lessons and there are many steps.  DURING the process of learning and the lessons the student learning is assessed by question and answer sessions, kid watching, and many more activities or strategies.  The teacher either moves on if the students understand or adjusts the instruction to remediate.  The teacher should also give FEEDBACK to guide students and let them know what they are doing right and wrong.  This will help them understand what they are doing and how to fix it.  The final key word is STUDENTS.  Formative assessment should be student focused and engaged.  The students should take an active part in the learning process.  They need to be able to know what, why, and how to get the answers and understand the concept.
 It is important to plan the lessons and units carefully for many reasons.  First off, it is important to map out lessons to make sure all concepts and standards are covered.  Next, it is also important to plan out time for formative assessments and time for remidiation.  During the lesson is the time for students to have questions, get confused, and make mistakes.  Teachers need to know that this is going to happen and plan for it.  Another thing all teachers need to plan for is the unexpected.  Anyhting can happen in a classroom and teachers need to be flexible and prepared for anything!