Formative assessment practices and the school social climate. A new approach to the subject based on a study conducted in Poland

Abstract

The topic of formative assessment has rarely been addressed in Polish educational research studies, and the connection between formative assessment and the school climate has, until now, never been examined. The subject of this quantitative study were the formative assessment practices used by elementary school teachers and the school social climate. The participants were students (N=491) and teachers (N=60). Findings indicate that: (1) to a varying degree, teachers use activities that make up formative assessment, (2) schools differ significantly in their formative assessment practices, (3) the social climate at these schools is positive, (4) formative assessment practices are positively correlated with the school climate.