The research presented in this dissertation involves a quantitative study of mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment. Formative assessment is understood as a process in which both teachers and students actively become the agents of the process, responsible for their own knowledge and practice. In this process, formally gathered evidence is used to formulate feedback and inform decisions; and informal evidence (e.g. observation, conversations) is used to generate teacher and peer-feedback to improve learning (Hargreaves, 2005; Wiliam & Leahy, 2015). The focus of the study is on mathematics teachers in state secondary schools in the Brazilian Federal District. The research design employs survey methodology with a structured e-questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed based on six domains of knowledge extracted from existing research literature. The several piloting phases, and a field test conducted with a larger sample, demonstrate the validity and reliability of the instrument and provide information about mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment. The evidence shows that teachers in the Federal District did relatively better in terms of interpreting evidence of students' learning and helping students to use assessment information. On the other hand, they had a relatively lower performance in terms of choosing/developing assessment methods (e.g. classroom activities, discussions) to elicit evidence of students' learning. The overall performance of teachers in the Federal District was lower than that of teachers sampled from the other states of Brazil. The original contribution of this research is methodological in the development, piloting and application of a new instrument to assess mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment; and to knowledge in providing information and a unique insight into Brazilian mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment. There are important implications for policy and practice, focussing on teachers' professional development with regards to formative assessment and clarifying Brazilian teachers' roles as assessors.

In response to test-based accountability (No Child Left Behind, 2001), schools and districts across the country are adopting a variety of supplemental assessments aimed at improving student performance. These interim assessments are administered more than once during the school year for the following purposes: 1) predicting student performance on summative accountability tests, 2) identifying student strengths and weaknesses, 3) tracking student progress toward "proficiency," or 4) identifying students for remedial instruction. Vendors claim these assessments can improve teaching and learning, although critics contend they do not possess a number of attributes theorized to facilitate formative use of results, including particular assessment features, instructional practices, and school-level supports. To date, empirical evidence on interim assessments is scarce. Thus, this study collected the first empirical evidence on the use of interim assessments in reading and math in Iowa elementary schools. Elementary school administrators completed a survey regarding their school or district's use of interim assessments. Respondents provided basic descriptive information and also indicated how teachers use assessment results to modify teaching and learning and the types of professional development opportunities available. A companion teacher survey designed to capture teachers' use of assessment information to improve teaching and learning was constructed. This draft teacher survey was pilot-tested with a small sample of teachers in order to improve its clarity by identifying areas of ambiguity. Feedback generated from these interviews was used to revise the teacher survey. Study results suggest widespread use of interim assessments among respondents, particularly for the improvement of reading skills and primarily for instructional and remediation purposes. These reading assessments appeared to exhibit many of the characteristics deemed essential for formative use of assessment results. However, both survey and interview results suggested teachers have little autonomy for deciding when assessments will be administered. Results also suggest there is much room for improvement in teachers' formative use of assessment results, as one of the most important aspects of formative use (responding to results by modifying instruction and identifying alternative pedagogies) may also be the least used by classroom teachers and the most neglected with respect to professional development.

The hypothesis for this essay is: ”Teachers use assessment methods that are mainly summative and as a consequence student involvement in the assessment process is low, with too little focus on the goals of the education.” The primary aim is to investigate whether or not this hypothesis is true. To answer this, students were asked their opinions about assessment. Also, teachers were asked questions about assessment, to see if there is a correlation between students' and teachers' thoughts. The investigation was conducted through a questionnaire, which 46 students and three teachers answered. The students came from three different ninth grade classes.      The results from the questionnaires indicate that mainly summative assessment methods are used since, for example, only 50% of the students know how they are being assessed. Also, when giving examples of assignments they get to do in class, most students gave answers that traditionally are connected with summative assessment. The results also show that student involvement in the assessment process is low, as 65% answered that they rarely or never get to self-assess, and they are only involved in planning subject areas sometimes. Also, a majority of 74% would like to have more personal conversations with their teacher about their development. However, most students feel that their teacher is clear about the goals and objectives of assignments.      The conclusion reached in this essay is that the hypothesis was partly true. The teachers in this study use mainly summative assessment methods, and student involvement in the assessment process is low. On the other hand, teachers are good at explaining the educational goals. In a majority of the questions, students' and teachers' opinions about assessment coincide. However, the opinions differ greatly between the classes in all but two questions.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka rektorers uppfattningar om skriftliga omdömen samt hur de tar ansvar för arbetet med dessa. Syftet var också att studera hur de omdömen som lärare skriver ser ut i praktiken avseende innehåll, för att se hur omdömena överensstämmer med rektorernas uppfattningar. I detta arbete har vår utgångspunkt varit de skrivningar i läroplanen (Lpo 94) och de allmänna råden (Skolverket, 2008) som uttrycker något om rektors ansvar samt elevers lärande- och kunskapsutveckling. För att få svar på våra frågor har vi intervjuat tio rektorer som tillsammans representerar grundskolans alla stadier samt studerat innehållet i 1245 skriftliga omdömen. Studien genomfördes i en mellanstor svensk kommun. Resultatet visar att rektorerna i huvudsak är positiva till skriftliga omdömen men att de är kritiska till det stöd de fått för implementering. Ett skäl till att rektorerna är positiva är de pedagogiska diskussioner som reformen medfört. Rektorerna menar att detta också inneburit att de stärkts i sin roll som pedagogiska ledare. Resultatet visar också att det råder en diskrepans mellan rektorers uppfattningar om innehållet i de skriftliga omdömena och hur dessa ser ut i praktiken. De skriftliga omdömena innehåller inte alltid beskrivningar av elevens kunskaper och utvecklingsmöjligheter. Däremot visade sig många omdömen fokusera på elevernas brister. Sökord: individuell utvecklingsplan, skriftliga omdömen, kunskapsbedömning, assessment, formative assessment, skolledare

<p>     The hypothesis for this essay is: ”Teachers use assessment methods that are mainly summative and as a consequence student involvement in the assessment process is low, with too little focus on the goals of the education.” The primary aim is to investigate whether or not this hypothesis is true. To answer this, students were asked their opinions about assessment. Also, teachers were asked questions about assessment, to see if there is a correlation between students' and teachers' thoughts. The investigation was conducted through a questionnaire, which 46 students and three teachers answered. The students came from three different ninth grade classes.</p><p>     The results from the questionnaires indicate that mainly summative assessment methods are used since, for example, only 50% of the students know how they are being assessed. Also, when giving examples of assignments they get to do in class, most students gave answers that traditionally are connected with summative assessment. The results also show that student involvement in the assessment process is low, as 65% answered that they rarely or never get to self-assess, and they are only involved in planning subject areas sometimes. Also, a majority of 74% would like to have more personal conversations with their teacher about their development. However, most students feel that their teacher is clear about the goals and objectives of assignments.</p><p>     The conclusion reached in this essay is that the hypothesis was partly true. The teachers in this study use mainly summative assessment methods, and student involvement in the assessment process is low. On the other hand, teachers are good at explaining the educational goals. In a majority of the questions, students' and teachers' opinions about assessment coincide. However, the opinions differ greatly between the classes in all but two questions.</p>

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur ett arbetslags förutsättningar och uppfattningar om kollegialt lärande och formativ bedömning har påverkat deras undervisning efter att ha deltagit i Matematiklyftet. Arbetslaget samt deras rektor har intervjuats och en analys av de texter som behandlar bedömning från två moduler i Matematiklyftet har genomförts för att svara på syftet. Under fortbildningen har arbetslaget getts tillfällen att prova olika metoder för att arbeta med formativ bedömning i sin undervisning, där de fastnat för några av dem och fortsatt använda efter Matematiklyftets slut. De har upptäckt ett samband mellan bedömning och undervisning, att de inte behöver ses som två skilda delar som krockar med varandra utan att de kan samverka och komplettera varandra. Arbetslaget har även fått upp ögonen för vikten av kollegialt lärande i planering av undervisning. Detta genom de kontinuerliga mötena där de diskuterat matematikdidaktik och delat med sig av varandras erfarenheter, kunskaper och samarbetat med lektionsplaneringar och då upptäckt fördelarna med att ta hjälp av varandra. Med hjälp av rektorns stöd och handledarens engagemang, vilket i min studie visat sig vara avgörande framgångsfaktorer, har det deltagande arbetslaget under Matematiklyftets gång fått diskutera och praktisera arbetssätt, verktyg och synsätt utifrån forskningsartiklar. Detta har gjort att både rektor och lärare insett vikten av att kontinuerligt arbeta kollegialt för att öka matematikundervisningens kvalitet. Utifrån detta samt rektorns vision för hur det fortsatta arbetet ska se ut efter Matematiklyftets slut, har lärarna i arbetslaget getts förutsättningar att fortsätta att arbeta med formativ bedömning i matematikundervisningen genom kollegialt lärande. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how a teacher team's prospects and perceptions of peer learning and formative assessment has influenced their teaching after taking part in “Matematiklyftet”. The teacher team and their principal have been interviewed and an analysis of the texts concerning formative assessment from two modules in “Matematiklyftet” has been made to answer the purpose. During “Matematiklyftet” the teacher team has been given opportunities to try different methods to work with formative assessment in their teaching and they got an interest for some of them that they continued to use after the end of “Matematiklyftet”. They have discovered a link between assessment and teaching, that they need not be seen as two distinct parts that collide with each other, but rather that they can interact and complement each other. The teacher team has also realized the importance of peer learning in the planning of teaching. This, by the continuous meetings where they discussed mathematics didactics and shared each other’s experience, knowledge and collaborated with lesson planning and then discovered the benefits of helping each other. With the help of the principal’s support and the dedication from the leader of the discussion-group, which in my study proved to be critical success factors, the teacher team has been given opportunities to discuss and practice work methods, tools and point of views based on research articles during “Matematiklyftet”. Through this experience, both the principal and the teachers have realized the importance of continually work with peer learning to enhance mathematics teaching quality. Based on this, and the principal’s vision for how to continue the teachers peer learning after “Matematiklyftet”, the teacher team has been given opportunities to continue to work on formative assessment in mathematics education through peer learning.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur verksamma pedagoger inom grundsärskolan arbetar med formativa bedömningsprocesser. Frågeställningen handlar om hur pedagogerna synliggör kunskapskraven för elever som har en utvecklingsstörning, hur de följer upp elevernas lärprocesser samt vilka verktyg de använder i det formativa arbetet med eleverna. Jag har genom semistrukturerade intervjuer undersökt hur verksamma pedagoger tänker kring kunskapsbedömningen i grundsärskolan, hur de utmanar eleverna och vilka förutsättningar eleverna ges för att utveckla sina förmågor. För att finna svar på studiens frågeställning har jag tagit del av litteratur kring formativa arbetsprocesser samt intervjuat fyra pedagoger inom grundsärskolan som alla har en lång erfarenhet inom skolans värld.   Studiens resultat visar att det arbetas på ett formativt sätt där elever på olika sätt får vara en del i sin kunskapsinhämtning men vad det gäller att analysera resultat, utvärdera och förändra undervisningen var det ingen pedagog som använde sig av detta för att förändra sin undervisning. Resultatet visar också att rektor och huvudman har en stor del i hur det arbetas i grundsärskolan kring formativa bedömningsprocesser. Hur rektorer organiserar sin verksamhet för att det ska ges förutsättningar för kollegialt lärande och samsyn avspeglar sig på pedagogernas syn på delaktighet för eleverna.   Min uppfattning är att för att arbeta formativt med elever på grundsärskolan behöver pedagogerna få en större förståelse för att hur de kan använda alla sina goda exempel och insamlat material kring eleverna på ett mer effektivt sätt genom att analysera dessa, ta hjälp av kollegor och genom att tillsammans reflektera för att därutifrån förändra undervisningen. Detta gör att det kan hittas nya vägar att få elever med en utvecklingsstörning mer delaktiga i sin kunskapsinhämtning. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how educators in the special school use formative assessment processes. The research question is about how teachers reveal the Syllabus for students who have learning disabilities, how they follow up the students´ learning processes, and which tools they use in the formative work with the pupils. Through semi-structured interviews this study investigate the educators views of assessment in special schools, how they challenge students, and what prerequisites the students are given to develop their abilities. To answer the research question, I have studied the literature on formative work processes and interviewed four educators in special school who all have long experiences of teaching.    The findings show that formative assessment is used and the students are involved in their learning processes in different ways. However, none of the interviewed used formative assessments when it came to analyzing results, evaluate, and change their teaching. Additionally, the result reveals the importance of the principal and the headmaster regarding how formative assessment is used in special school. The teachers’ point of view about pupils´ involvement is affected by how the principal manages the organization to peer learning.   My opinion is that teachers working formatively with students at special school need better understanding of how they may use examples and collected information. This may be done more efficiently by analyzing these, collaborate with colleagues, and together reflect on opportunities to develop the education. Thus, new ways to make students with development disabilities more involved in their learning processes can be found.

Online discussion forums and reflective writing are proven methods for enriching conceptual understanding and are hallmarks of engineering education. Plagiarism and many students’ apprehension to contribute to online journals can plague the effectiveness of these educational tools. Using elements of the engineering design cycle, I have created a blogging website that addresses these problems by restricting comment visibilities for users and includes a graphic visualization called a “word cloud” to supplement discussion. A prototype was tested with UTeach Engineering teachers for feedback on design and use. The critiques provided examples of classroom use, constructive design feedback, and ideas for its use as a formative assessment. The design could be used as a pedagogical tool for an investigation of formative assessments in engineering education, but further research for “word cloud” visualizations and journal data collection is needed to expand the current design. / text

This case study presents an overview of the student perspective on assessment, an area in which there is still little research. The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate the awareness, understanding and experience of assessment from a student perspective by addressing the following research questions: why, what, when, how and by whom are the students’ learning processes assessed?  A secondary aim is to investigate if and how teachers work with formative assessment in order to discern possible similarities and differences concerning the perception of assessment between students and teachers of English in upper secondary school. The method employed is qualitative; structured interviews have been carried out with six students and three teachers in two upper secondary schools. The interviewees represent both theoretical and vocational programmes in years 1, 2 and 3. The results show that the students believe that their learning processes are assessed in order to enable their teachers to award the students with a grade, but also in order for the students to develop in their learning processes. The assessment is perceived as a natural feature of the education. However the assessment is not perceived as fully integrated in teaching and learning; teacher-initiated, test-like activities are thought to be of greater importance for the final assessment, according to the students. The teachers, on the other hand, assess all activities equally. Written and oral feedback on the students’ productions and performances is given in relation to assessment matrices; the students appreciate and prefer this type of feedback to a grade which is contrary to what the teachers believe. The assessment is ultimately made by the teachers; students’ self-assessment is a fairly regular feature, while peer-assessment is yet to be implemented in order for the assessment practice to be considered as entirely formative. Lack of time is an oft-repeated reason why the implementation of the different features of formative assessment is being made gradually. This case study contributes to the field of educational research in that it provides an overview of the student perspective on assessment, which needs to be further investigated.

The potential of formative assessment, evident in several research reviews, has raised the interest in many countries to invest in reform initiatives to develop its use. However, implementation of formative assessment is not straightforward and there is a lack of knowledge about how to design appropriate professional development. The intervention study presented in this thesis aimed to see if a random selection of teachers, participating in a professional development program with many contact hours and substantial support of an expert, implemented formative assessment in a way that increased their students’ learning in mathematics. It also aimed to examine the reasons for the teachers’ changes in their classroom practice. The twenty-two year 4 teachers attended a professional development program in formative assessment in mathematics. A mixed methods approach used classroom observations, teacher interviews, questionnaire surveys and student mathematics tests to investigate the effects on teacher classroom practice and student achievement. It was found that the teachers trained in formative assessment built on their previous formative classroom practice and added new formative assessment activities into their mathematics classroom practice to a level that had significant impact on student achievement in mathematics (p = .036, d = .66). The teachers developed their formative assessment practice in three dimensions: key processes in teaching and learning, agents in the classroom, and the length of the formative assessment cycle. The reasons for teachers ́ implementation of new formative assessment activities were well explained by the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Important aspects of the professional development program were: (1) A formative and process-oriented character; (2) Activities directly useable in classrooms; (3) Experience of using formative assessment activities; (4) Connection between theory and practice; (5) Time; and (6) Knowledgeable support. The thesis shows that it was possible to provide sufficient support to a random selection of teachers for them to develop their formative assessment practice in a way that improved student achievement. However, this thesis also indicates that it can be expected that teachers would need substantial time and support to achieve such developments in their classroom practice.