Examining How English Learners Use Learning Goals, Feedback, and Self-Reflection in Formative Assessment

• In Event: 61.060 - Formative Assessment to Support English Learners' Academic Language Development: Resources for Teachers and Students

Abstract

Perspective & Purpose

One important aspect in formative assessment is the provision and use of feedback to help teachers and students in identifying strengths and weaknesses in the students’ language proficiency. If English learners (ELs) receive feedback they can understand, it could assist them in comprehending the information they need to learn. The purpose of this paper is to examine how ELs use formative assessment, how they engage and use learning goals and feedback, and how they use self-reflection to support learning.

Methods

We developed a learning management system (LMS) that includes learning goals, self-assessments, reading activities, performance results, and additional resources (plan for improvement, sample responses and practice materials). The activities included modeling to show students what to do, and provided immediate feedback. We piloted the LMS in seven classrooms at two middle schools and a high school with 111 students—35 non-ELs and 76 ELs of varying levels of English proficiency. We observed the students while they were completing all the different components in the LMS. We also asked them to complete a survey to get information about their overall perceptions of the LMS. Data included students’ responses to the initial (N=97) and final self-assessment (N=91), plan for improvement (N=77) and survey (N=62). We used descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) to analyze how students engaged with the learning goals and feedback.

Results

Our preliminary findings show that the information in the learning goals section helped students understand the purpose of the activities (N=59, 95%) and the initial self-assessment helped them think about what they needed to do to complete the activities (N=59, 95%). Students also liked the immediate feedback and thought it helped them answer the questions (N=57, 92%). The students were able to access the feedback that was provided in the performance results section and thought it helped them identify what they could do well (N=57, 92%) and what they needed to improve (N=56, 90%). Students were able to use the feedback to plan their next steps (N=57, 92%). Seventy-four of the 77 students who completed the Plan for Improvement form indicated that they needed to improve at least one reading skill (66 needed to improve only 1 skill, 7 of them 2 skills, and 1 all 3 skills). Most students indicated that the additional resources in the LMS could help them improve their reading skills (N=58, 93%).

Significance

The findings from this study could allow teachers to have a better understanding of how to better use formative assessment to support student learning, and of how to provide assessment information that is useful and actionable to ELs to support their English language development. The findings from this study also provide a better understanding of how to engage ELs with learning goals, success criteria and feedback, and how self-assessment can be incorporated in formative assessment and how self-assessment allows ELs to reflect on what they need to learn, what they have learned and what they need to improve.

Authors

• Alexis Lopez, Educational Testing Service

• Jennifer Wain, Educational Testing Service