Outstanding Formative Assessment Culture

and Practice
Shirley Clarke
Chapter 9 Feedback
Feedback is information given to the learner and/or
teacher about the learners performance relative to the
learning goals which then redirects or refocuses either the
teachers or the learners actions to achieve the goal. The
most powerful form of feedback is when it is from
the student to the teacher.
External rewards such as stickers are negative forms of
feedback which threaten self-esteem. Tangible rewards
significantly undermine intrinsic motivation and peoples
responsibility for motivating or regulating themselves.
The growth mindset learning culture reduces a fear of
failure and encourages children to share their errors and
to see them as learning opportunities. Feedback relies on
errors being revealed.
The more immediate the feedback the better as most
marking/written feedback has little impact on student
progress.
Mid-lesson learning stops and cooperative marking enable
students to actively improve their work by seeing
excellent examples and discussing possible
improvements.
The cooperative improvement process can be used across
all subjects. Students have one piece of work between
them and discuss positives and what they could do in
order to improve.
When we are skill-building, constant review is more helpful
than waiting till the product is finished then needing to go
back and redo it.
For closed mathematics and literacy skills ask students to
write their own version of success criteria. Ask them to

provide examples. This will reveal to you how well they

have grasped that particular concept/skill.
Much of the marking such as ongoing improvements made
by pairs during a lesson, is invisible, yet it is the most
valuable form of feedback. Codes such as VF (Verbal
Feedback), different coloured pens/highlighters, childrens
initials and acknowledgement comments made by the
teacher help to make the invisible feedback processes
visible to outside parties.
We need to find ways of making our excellent practice
visible rather than caving in to the accountability demands
which can lead us to do things for the sake of doing them.
(See example on pg 136).
Strategies used to develop peer assessment as well as
making it an effective teaching and learning tool
Modelling using a visualiser, talking partners and
developing success criteria.
Peer marking helps to develop the I can culture, which
leads to a more motivated and confident child.
For an excellent example of teacher marking see fig. 7.3
on pg 101
Some successful peer/self-assessment strategies include:
two stars and a wish, traffic light systems, thumbs
up/thumbs down and use of green (positive) and pink
(development) highlighters.