Teacher perceptions of the use and value of formative assessment in secondary English programmes

Abstract

The significance of formative assessment strategies to student learning has been summed up by Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam in their review of all research data from 1988 to 1998. The potential value of a range of strategies for effective incorporation of formative assessment in secondary English classrooms, is beginning to be appreciated by teachers in New Zealand. Formative assessment places an emphasis on effective feed-back to students close to the time of the learning task, and it should look forward to the specific next step to improve performance. This paper summarises the perceptions of twenty secondary English teachers from a range of secondary schools in the Massey University College of Education's catchment region. The paper outlines the understanding teachers have of issues including the relationship between formative and summative teaching strategies, how assessment feed-back can be distorted by 'necessary' classroom management functions and the clash between 'competitive' and 'personal improvement' assessment purposes in the classroom. The paper outlines the nature of the gap between perceptions of teachers involved in the study and their actual classroom practice and will highlight the reasons for that gap. It will also look ahead to professional development needs.