Teachers’ online formative assessment in lockdown
Dutch secondary teachers used online formative assessment across FA-cycle phases during COVID lockdown, often clarifying goals online but varying in how well phases aligned.
Source
Secondary school teachers' use of online formative assessment during COVID-19 lockdown: Experiences and lessons learned
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Teachers’ online formative assessment in lockdown
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50 teachers from 17 schools participated.
In total, 50 secondary school teachers of 17 different secondary schools in the Netherlands volunteered to participate in this study.
68% discussed learning goals/success criteria online.
68% of the teachers shared that they discussed the learning goals and success criteria with the students online.
What they did
Fifty teachers from 17 Dutch secondary schools in an FA learning network completed questionnaires, interviews, and webinars about online formative assessment during the first COVID lockdown; researchers coded practices onto a five-phase FA cycle.
What they found
Over half of coded segments described online FA practice; many teachers discussed learning goals/success criteria online, and some involved students in generating criteria from examples. Alignment across later FA phases was uneven, and teachers reflected on opportunities and challenges versus face-to-face FA.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Qualitative/exploratory design with volunteer FA-network teachers cannot estimate nationwide prevalence or causal effects of online FA on student achievement.
Key terms
- Formative assessment (FA)
- Assessment used to monitor learning and adapt teaching/feedback during instruction.
- FA cycle
- Five aligned phases from clarifying expectations through follow-up instructional decisions.
- Clarifying expectations
- Phase 1—sharing learning goals and success criteria with students.
- Alignment
- Coherent connection between FA phases so evidence, feedback, and next steps fit together.
- Online formative assessment
- FA practices enacted through digital tools and virtual classrooms during remote teaching.
- Learning network
- Collaborative teacher group developing FA knowledge and practice together.
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What was the study context?
Common questions
Who participated?
50 secondary teachers from 17 Dutch schools in an FA learning network.
What framework organized the analysis?
A five-phase formative assessment cycle.
What was common in Phase 1?
Many teachers discussed learning goals and success criteria online with students.
Can we generalize to all Dutch teachers?
No—participants were volunteers already engaged in FA professional learning.
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