Creating Formative Assessment (FA) Tasks

Formative assessment (FA) is the ongoing measurement of learning 
for the purpose of informing the next steps in the learning cycle for 
both the instructor and the learner. Instructors can conduct formative assessment to observe learners’ skills, give feedback and plan further teaching. Learners can use formative assessment to measure their 
skill development, get feedback on how to improve and reflect on 
their progress. FA is assessment for learning (AFL), not assessment 
of learning; it is an informative, reflective part of a learning cycle as opposed to a summative measurement at the end of learning. The differences between these two approaches are discussed in PBLA and Current Assessment Theory. 



LINC program instruction is grounded in CLB and its guiding principles. Most learning activities are related to developing and practicing the language skills needed to perform the real-world tasks, which are communicative tasks for real-world settings in education, community and the workplace. Learning activities in LINC programs prepare learners for real-world tasks and are primarily divided into skill-building activities, skill-using tasks and assessment tasks. Formative assessment tasks are skill-using tasks and assessment tasks; they are opportunities to complete a real-world task and receive feedback to inform further learning. 

When you create a formative assessment task, begin with the end in mind. Consider the real-world task, CLB, skill and competency area(s): 

• Which language items and knowledge does the learner need to know to complete this task successfully? 
• What conditions will the task be completed under and how can the learner prepare for those conditions? 

This will give you your initial assessment criteria for the task and provide you with provisional assessment criteria. As learners practice the language elements for the task in skill-building activities, you can fine-tune the assessment criteria as you learn areas of strengths and areas for improvement in your class. When creating the conditions for the skill-using task or assessment, assessment validity needs to be considered. Consider how to ensure the learner completes the task unassisted in the classroom or on Avenue. You can discuss program expectations for in-person and online class assessment validity with your program manager and PBLA lead instructor(s). 

Once you have planned the path to the task, return to the task and the criteria. FA will start at the level of skill-building activities. Create a rubric or another assessment tool to identify holistic (overall) and analytic (detailed) criteria for success. This, along with any evidence produced during the task, such as self- or peer-assessment or reflection, is an artefact for the learner’s portfolio. The artefact should document the learner’s progress as well as action-oriented feedback from you: What did they do well? What do they need to practice or improve for next time?