Equity for All Learners Through Formative Assessment: Rapid Recognition of Instructional Needs

• In Event: 41.031 - Ready for Kindergarten? Screening, Formative Assessment, and Performance Assessment

Abstract

This paper describes the impact of formative assessment in early childhood classrooms on the academic growth of young under-resourced children. Two hundred children enrolled in a large Head Start program were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions in classrooms in which a typical kindergarten readiness curriculum was delivered. Teachers conducted weekly online formative assessments reflecting what they had taught during the previous week and made minor modifications based on immediate feedback. Results indicate that children receiving formative assessment significantly outperformed their peers on measures of receptive language early literacy skills.

Authors

• Karen Burstein, University of Louisiana Lafayette

• Renee M. Casbergue, Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge