Formative Assessment in the Second Grade Classroom!

Formative assessment and summative assessment to be used together in order for a successful year. Formative assessments can include conferences, journals, observations, and portfolios. Summative assessments include standardized tests, end of unit tests or projects, and course grades. In order to get to a point where the students are taking units tests, or doing projects, there must be formative assessments to get them to that point. 

This year, I am working in a second grade classroom for my internship, and second grade is a great place to be! Compared to older grades, students don't have as much pressure on the with standardized test scores, so as a teacher, there is more opportunities for formative assessment. 


Formative assessment is beneficial for many reasons, and it should be used in all classrooms.  Unlike summative assessment, formative assessment provides instant feedback whenever the teacher needs it. It allows the teacher to know where the students are within the Big Idea that they are teaching, so they can lead their students to success. 


In the second grade, there is not as much emphasis on summative assessments and standardized testing, so teachers really have a bigger opportunity to use more formative assessment. While there should be a good balance of both types, I believe that formative assessment should be used more in the classrooms. It shows students how they are progressing, and doesn't just give them a number to look at, it gives them more feedback to help them grow in the future. It is also easier to vary formative assessment to make it more personalized for an individual student.