A Tech Approach to Formative

Assessment

Have you ever checked on cookies while they were baking in the oven and adjusted the
temperature or position of the baking sheet? Have you ever re-organized decorations multiple
times as they are displayed throughout your house? If so, you are certainly familiar with
formatively assessing aspects of your everyday life.
Outside of personal matters, formative assessment is a powerful tool that can be used to
maximize the effectiveness of instruction within the classroom. Carnegie Mellon University
outlines formative assessment in this way, The goal of formative assessment is to monitor

student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve
their teaching and by students to improve their learning.
(See - http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/howto/basics/formativesummative.html)
The uses and possibilities for formative assessments within lessons are endless. Exit
tickets, Venn Diagrams, Yes/No Charts, Response Cards, Think-Pair-Share, and Word
Splashes are all great tools to check for student understanding. With the results of these
activities analyzed, it becomes easy to modify instructional activities to meet student
needs.
(For a more complete list and explanation of traditional formative assessment
techniques see - https://www.nwea.org/blog/2013/22-easy-formative-assessmenttechniques-for-measuring-student-learning/ or check out Total Participation Techniques
- http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111037.aspx)
While the types and uses of formative assessments are well documented, the integration of
technology into these methods is still in the early stages. With new applications and devices,
formative assessments can be quickly analyzed and give instant feedback to the student; saving
time and increasing achievement.
Below are six tech-based formative assessment tools that can make formative assessments
easier and more meaningful:

1. Socrative Socrative is an application where you can easily create quick

assessments that relate to any lesson or content area. Using any device students take the
assessments and the results are shared with the creator instantly. The test creator can also
create groups within the application and share out differentiated tests based on pre-created
criteria. Games are offered as rewards and all tests can be shared with other Socrative members.
See - http://www.socrative.com/

2. Pear Deck Pear deck is an interactive presentation tool that allows you to link
up PowerPoints, Activities, or other created presentations with any tech device that is within

A Tech Approach to Formative

Assessment

connection range (about 200 feet or using the personalized connection code). During the
presentation the creator can set up quizzes or other interactive activities that must be completed
on a separate device during presenting. This is similar to NearPod only Pear Deck has more
analysis features for shared responses within presentations.
See - https://www.peardeck.com/

3. Kahoot! A free, quick, and easy way to review concepts in class through
multiple choice lessons. Ken Carlson presented this at an in-service last year after we discussed
website requirements. Kahoot! Is really easy to set up and use. Simply create multiple choice
questions, have students log on to the website and create a player name, and then display the
game and play! This is a great alternative to Jeopardy review games and is revealing of student
understanding of concepts.
See - https://getkahoot.com/

4. Plickers If while reading down this list you thought to yourself all of these
applications require student devices and I dont have them then Plickers is the app for you!
Designed for low-tech classrooms, Plickers requires only one device (either an iPad or a smart
phone). In order to use the app simply print off a class set of QR codes (given to you by the app).
Holding the QR code in a certain direction indicates student response to a multiple choice
question. Hold your phone up and scan your classroom for a quick and easy check to a question!
The app saves student responses and has wonderful analyzing tools to plan future instruction.
This is a great and easy tool to use!
See - https://www.plickers.com/
5. Formative The name and the application couldnt be more perfect
for a quick check on student progress. The unique thing about formative is the instant feedback.
You pose a question or prompt and students have a virtual white board in which they respond.
The instructor can see the work the student is doing in real time and provide feedback instantly.
The real time assessment tracker also tracks whole class progress instantly and gives a high
score for motivation. This is by far one of the coolest formative assessment apps that are
available.
See - https://goformative.com/

A Tech Approach to Formative

Assessment
6. Exit Ticket Similar to formative exit ticket is a real-time workspace in which you
provide a questions and students submit responses through the application. Exit ticket has
wonderful analyzation tools available and works great on smart phones.
See - http://exitticket.org/