Preliminary study on application of formative assessment in college English writing class

Abstract

Educational assessment mainly consists of two manifestations: formative assessment and summative assessment. Formative assessment is ongoing assessment on learning process of students. It provides feedbacks for teacher and student through the course of teaching so as to help the teacher to improve methodology to satisfy the need of students and to promote the development of English teaching. Summative assessment is commonly considered as a major form of assessment, and it is an assessment focusing on result. Test achievement of student is its major criterion to evaluate the ability of student and the quality of teaching; therefore, it is a periodical assessment. The present paper reviews the origin of formative assessment, and discusses its application in college English writing class. The compositions of the experimental class students have more novel ideas and their teamwork and cooperation consciousness have been strengthened. The conclusion is that the application of formative assessment is beneficial in advancing students' writing ability and cultivating their team spirit. Some suggestions on effective application of formative assessment in writing class are put forward at last. © 2013 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.