Publications & Resources

The Role of Formative Assessment in Student Learning: Multi-level Analyses

May 2013

Yunyun Dai, Joan Herman, Ellen Osmundson and Yourim Chai

The purpose of this study is to find out: To what extent does the treatment affect student learning? How and in what ways does Fidelity of Implementation affect student learning? What factors influence learning outcomes? The demographics, prior achievement state and grade level of the students were recorded before the study and their knowledge of magnetism and electricity were measured after the study. Meanwhile, teacher’s content knowledge was measured before the study and the quality assessment tools were used as the treatment condition. Intensity of curriculum implementation and frequency of on-going assessment were logged weekly. Results showed that treatment significantly impacts students’ science learning. Study findings underscore the value of quality curriculum and teacher’s use of embedded, formative assessment tools to support student learning.

Dai, Y., Herman, J., Osmundson, E., & Chai, Y. (2013, May). The role of formative assessment in student learning: Multi-level analyses. Presentation at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.