{"id":63801,"date":"2018-05-30T15:31:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T19:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=63801"},"modified":"2018-05-31T10:32:05","modified_gmt":"2018-05-31T14:32:05","slug":"from-dsc-formative-assessments-offer-enormous-benefits-my-notes-on-the-f-word-top-five-complaints-and-solutions-about-formative-assessment-duhart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2018\/05\/30\/from-dsc-formative-assessments-offer-enormous-benefits-my-notes-on-the-f-word-top-five-complaints-and-solutions-about-formative-assessment-duhart\/","title":{"rendered":"From DSC: Formative assessments offer enormous benefits! My notes on “The ‘F’ Word: Top Five Complaints (and Solutions) About Formative Assessment” [Duhart]"},"content":{"rendered":"

From DSC:<\/em>
\nLow-stakes formative assessments offer enormous benefits and should be used extensively throughout K-12, higher education, L&D\/corporate universities, in law schools, medical schools, dental schools, and more.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Below are my notes from the following article \u2013 with the provided emphasis\/bolding\/highlighting via colors, etc. coming from me:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Duhart, Olympia. “The \u201cF\u201d Word: The Top Five Complaints (and Solutions) About Formative Assessment.”\u00a0Journal of Legal Education<\/em>, vol. 67, no. 2 (winter 2018), pp. 531-49. <\/strong><– with thanks to Emily Horvath,\u00a0Director of Academic Services & Associate Professor, WMU-Cooley Law School<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cNo one gets behind the wheel of a car for the first time on the day of the DMV road test. People know that practice counts.\u201d (p. 531)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYet many law professors abandon this common-sense principle when it comes to teaching law students. Instead of providing multiple opportunities for practice with plenty of space to fail, adjust, and improve, many law school professors place almost everything on a single high-stakes test at the end of the semester.\u201d (p. 531)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cThe benefits of formative assessment are supported by cognitive science, learning theory, legal education experts, and common sense. An exhaustive review of the literature on formative assessment in various schools settings has shown that it consistently improves academic performance.\u201d<\/strong> (p. 544)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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ABA\u2019s new formative assessment standards <\/strong>(see pg 23)<\/a>
\nAn emphasis on formative assessments, not just a mid-term and\/or a final exam \u2013 which are typically called \u201csummative assessments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reliance on a single high-stakes exam at the end of the semester is comparable to taking the student driver straight to the DMV without spending any time practicing behind the wheel of a car. In contrast, formative assessment focuses on a feedback loop. It provides critical information to both the students and instructor about student learning.\u201d (p. 533)<\/p>\n

\u201cNow a combination of external pressure and a renewed focus on developing self-regulated lawyers has brought formative assessment front and center for law schools.\u201d (p. 533)<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fall 2016, the ABA implemented new standards that require the use of formative assessment in law schools. Standard 314 explicitly requires law schools to use both formative and summative assessment to \u201c\u2019measure and improve\u2019 student learning.\u201d (pgs. 533-534)<\/p>\n

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Standard 314. ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING
\n<\/strong>A law school shall utilize both formative and summative assessment methods in its curriculum to\u00a0<\/strong>measure and improve student learning and provide meaningful feedback to students.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Interpretation 314-1
\n<\/em><\/strong>Formative assessment methods are measurements at different points during a particular course or at\u00a0<\/em>different points over the span of a student\u2019s education that provide meaningful feedback to improve student learning<\/em>. <\/em>Summative assessment methods are measurements at the culmination of a particular course or at the culmination of any part of a student\u2019s legal education that measure the degree of student learning.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Interpretation 314-2<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A law school need not apply multiple assessment methods in any particular course. Assessment methods\u00a0<\/em>are likely to be different from school to school. Law schools are not required by Standard 314 to use any\u00a0<\/em>particular assessment method.<\/em><\/p>\n

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From DSC:<\/em><\/span>
\n<\/em>Formative assessments use tests as a learning tool\/strategy. They help identify gaps in students\u2019 understanding and can help the instructor adjust their teaching methods\/ideas on a particular topic. What are the learners getting? What are they not getting? These types of assessments are especially important in the learning experiences of students in their first year of law school. \u00a0All students need feedback, and these assessments can help give them feedback as to how they are doing.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Practice. Repetition. Feedback.\u00a0 <– all key elements in providing a solid learning experience!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201c\u2026effective assessment practices are linked to the development of effective lawyers.\u201d (pg. 535)<\/p>\n

\u201cLow-risk formative assessment give students multiple opportunities to make mistakes and actively engage with the material they are learning.<\/strong>\u201d (p. 537)<\/p>\n

Formative assessments force the students to practice recall.<\/strong> This is very helpful in terms of helping students actually remember<\/em><\/strong> the information. The spaced out practice of forcing recall \u2013 no matter how much the struggle of recalling it \u2013 aids in retaining information and moving items into longer-term memory. (See Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning<\/em><\/a> by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, & Mark A. McDaniel). In fact, according to this book\u2019s authors, the more the struggle in recalling the information, the greater the learning.<\/p>\n

Formative assessments can help students own their own learning.<\/strong> Self-regulation. Provide opportunities for students to practice meta-cognition<\/strong> \u2013 i.e., thinking about their thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cLawyers need to be experts at self-regulated learning.\u201d<\/strong> (p. 541)<\/p>\n

The use of numerous, low-stakes quizzes and more opportunities for feedback reduces test anxiety and can help with the mental health of students. Can reduce depression and help build a community of learners. (p. 542)<\/p>\n

\u201cMillennials prefer interactive learning opportunities, regular assessments, and immediate feedback.\u201d (p. 544)<\/p>\n

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Ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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