Deepening student learning through formative assessment strategies in primary school programs

In the field of education, how and why teachers develop formative assessment in their classrooms and how this focus can improve student learning is under researched. This thesis aimed to develop an understanding of how a range of formative assessment strategies can be developed and implemented in the classroom and enhanced through collaboration amongst teachers within professional learning teams. The study was conducted in three phases including two cycles of action research within one school and a comparative school case study, undertaken to deepen understanding of formative assessment and collaboration. Phase 1 involved action research in an international school in Hong Kong to develop formative assessment strategies in my own and two colleagues’ classrooms. The phase 2 action research cycle investigated how formative assessment implementation could be enhanced and developed through collaboration within a professional learning team (PLT). Phase 3 was a comparative case study of formative assessment in a Melbourne school, well known for its innovative assessment practices, providing a further analytical lens to validate and enrich earlier findings. In all three phases, the study found evidence of the importance of formative assessment being explicitly and deeply planned by teachers, in order to impact on student learning. The findings showed that when teachers embed key aspects of formative assessment strategies including stating the learning intention, developing the success criteria, effective teacher questioning, teacher feedback and the use of self and peer-assessment, student learning can be enhanced. The study also found that development of formative assessment through teacher collaboration within the structure of a PLT involving shared planning and reflection, enhances teachers’ capacity to implement these strategies. Finally, the study concluded that since the use formative assessment strategies improves student learning, their implementation should be a priority for schools and educators. School leaders should ensure that the structures and systems for professional learning teams are in place so that successful planning and collaboration to develop formative assessment strategies is at the forefront of school improvement strategies and decision-making for teachers’ work.