RIT Research & Impact Brief
Special Edition August 2017
KEA/K-3 formative assessment news for the piedmont-triad and northwest regions
What Does the Research Tell Us About the NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process?
In 2013, the K-3 NC Formative Assessment Think Tank reviewed scientific findings and best practices and solicited input from a wide array of stakeholders, including a survey of over 2,500 kindergarten teachers and consultation from over 60 state and national scholars and educational leaders and published the following findings:
1. From Kindergarten entry through third grade, the early elementary school years represent a pivotal period in educational development. Achievement gaps that grow during the years prior to kindergarten are either solidified or eliminated during the primary grades of elementary school (Graves, 2006; Reynold, Ou, & Topitzes, 2004).
2. In order to optimize student learning, teachers need to utilize a formative assessment process that identifies strengths and areas for growth for each student in five domains of learning.
3. Input from North Carolina teachers indicates that they are willing and able to implement a formative assessment process, provided they are given the resources to strengthen, support, and guide them.
The K-3 NC Formative Assessment Think Tank made the following crucial proposal:
The Think Tank proposes a formative assessment process that engages teachers and students with input from parents and families, school support staff, early childhood programs, and health care providers. This assessment process will incorporate multiple forms of evidence, such as observations, student work samples, conversations, and embedded instructional tasks. It is intended to be ongoing and an integral part of the instructional and learning process that teachers and students use to guide teaching and learning. It will be based on claims about student learning in five inter-related domains of learning included in North Carolina’s definition of school readiness (Ready for School Goal Team, 2000):
- Approaches to Learning,
- Cognitive Development,
- Emotional-Social Development,
- Health and Physical Development,
- Language Development and Communication.
For citations and to download full report, click here.