Passing the Bill: The Implications of Formal and Informal Assessment, Research Paper Example

Assessments are multifunctional educational tools which often measure a series of critical learning skills simultaneously. For example, time management, strategy, logic, motivation, and  gaps in understanding can be identified in varying degrees of focus according to the form and type of assessment used. There are two main categories of assessment (formal and informal), which can be conducted in a multitude of ways of varying levels of difficulty and complexity and which all possess distinct advantages and disadvantages. This paper will discuss two formal assessments and four informal assessments.

Formal Assessments

Formal assessments are very controversial. Standardized testing is one of the most public forms of this assessment and is often required at both the federal and state levels, especially since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Acts (Liu & Lin, 2007). Additionally, school-specific tests are conducted to ensure that the previous learning unit was completed and retained. The factors for practical classroom application will be briefly discussed in the following paragraphs.

Advantages

With the widespread reach of standardized testing, each teacher and each school is accountable for the progress made therein, thus accountability presents a dual advantage. Regarding school-initiated testing, a dual advantage is also presented by the lower anxiety surrounding these examinations. Yes, some students may occasionally need to repeat a year’s instruction due to these scores, but generally these tests are geared more toward individual progress and are not emphasized as strongly or prepared for as often as with standardized testing.

Disadvantages

To many, the most troublesome side effect of standardized testing affects schools which are already experiencing resource shortages. For schools who cannot afford to pay the salaries common to the surrounding areas, securing teachers is difficult. In these cases, denying much of their federal aid and initiating a hostile take-over does more to hinder the progress that the educational district is trying to achieve. Standardized testing also tends to focus on specific details rather than thematic analysis, making detail recall (academically) more important than the critical thinking regarding the application of learning to real-life experience. This very experiential application, according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, is a fundamental component of permanent learning.

School-specific testing varies widely (Zane & Abel, 2004). It can consist of a teacher’s examination to see who is paying attention or of a school’s testing to see who may need instructional guidance. In short, the reasons for testing are not visible or clearly presented to the students- often creating the impression that these tests do not matter and have no personal relevance to the student as long as they scrape by with a passing grade. In addition, teachers who use these tests for assessment of weaknesses or for assessment of motivation may come under undue pressure from school administration, coaches, or parents to manipulate the scores, bringing extra anxiety upon the head of the well-meaning educator.

Informal Assessments

Because the very nature of informal assessment implies relaxed guidelines for proceeding, there are multitudes of suggested approaches- many of which have been supported by valid research. From this large pool of available tactics, this paper discusses four informal methods: making observations, facilitating peer review, conducting running records, and having assessment conversations.

Advantages

Making observations is a relatively simple form of informal assessment which can provide insights into personal elements of education: willingness to participate, comprehension strategies, current status, peer relations etc. Its simplicity also allows for observations to be made in a variety of contexts and on overextended schedules (Cole 1999). Another very relaxed form of informal assessment is peer review. With gentle guidance, collaborative learning has been found to be highly motivating in most students. The majority of students are likewise capable of providing advanced cognitive strategies (Liu & Lin, 2007). Cole (1999) advocates using a conversation record to give students mere hints regarding possible solutions. Running records can also be conversational and light in nature and provide an opportunity to focus on a particular student or a small group (Shea, 2000). Another advantage of running records is that they can easily be modified to suit different disciplines, ages, and group sizes. When conducted on an individual basis, these records often ease the transition to having assessment conversations. Ruiz-Primo and Furtak (2006) based their four elements of assessment conversation upon the accepted, research-proven IRE (initiation-response-evaluation) sequence, and these elements consist of a teacher eliciting student thinking, the student responding, and the teacher recognizing and using this new information to facilitate better student learning (pp. 207-208). Thus, this method of informal assessment is considered more valid for practical use and more acceptable as a fulfillment of the NCLB requirement of evidentiary initiatives.

Disadvantages

While making observations can be an invaluable form of informal assessment, it requires a keen intuition which some educators frankly do not possess. In addition, this interpretive prerequisite for observation also makes the results subjective and occasionally requires direct teacher intervention (Cole 1999). This intervention is often necessitated by peer interactions. Although the potential for constructive, detailed peer reviews is supported by Liu’s research, the same research also concludes that a little prodding for deeper details is necessary to a higher level of analysis during peer review. Educators still must devote the time to developing the unit and its ancillary materials and to supervising the students (Liu & Lin, 2007). This disadvantage is shared by running records. The diversity of options for conducting a running record also challenges the teacher to ensure that evidence-based practices form the basis of this assessment and analysis (Shea, 2000). In contrast, assessment conversations may assume that what is right for one student is right for them all and places a higher premium on implementation than on evaluation, and critical thinking is a foundational must for implementation.

Conclusion

For formal assessments, the advantages of one form are the disadvantages of another and vice-versa. These advantages and disadvantages are accountability and anxiety. However, the additional economic implications of standardized testing produce much concern. For informal assessment, the advantages are often interrelated: simplicity, motivation, relaxed, conversational tones, and flexibility, and the disadvantages generally arise from the reliability of the results and the personal preferences and skills of both the students and the teacher. Both informal and formal assessments have distinct advantages and disadvantages, as the literature has shown. Careful consideration of these factors is necessary before implementation or else the bill gets passed to none other than the student for whom it was all done.

References

Cole, K. (Jan. 1999). Walking Around: Getting More from Informal Assessment. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 4(4), 224-227.

Liu, E., & Lin, S. J. (2007). Relationship between peer feedback, cognitive and metacognitive strategies and achievement in networked peer assessment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(6), 1122-1125. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00702.x

Ruiz-Primo, M., & Furtak, E. (2006). Informal Formative Assessment and Scientific Inquiry: Exploring Teachers’ Practices and Student Learning. Educational Assessment, 11(3/4), 205-235. doi:10.1207/s15326977ea1103&4_4

Shea, M. (2000). How to Use Running Records with Older Readers, Grades 5-8. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

Zane, T., & Abel, M. (eds.) (Sept. 2004). Creating Valid, High Quality Test and Assessment Items. Alpine Media Corporation, Western Governor’s University.