Ryan Huynh, Chase Midyett, Delphean Quan, Martha L. Thurlow, and Sheryl S. Lazarus
May 2022
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Huynh, R., Midyett, C., Quan, D., Thurlow, M. L., & Lazarus, S. S. (2022). The formative assessment practices landscape for students with disabilities: An analysis of state definitions and practices, 2021 (NCEO Report 435). National Center on Educational Outcomes.
To support students’ learning and development as autonomous learners, increased attention is being given to formative assessment practices and how to support their use. Prior research found that formative assessment practices has the potential to support all students, including students with disabilities, and their educators in the classroom (see, for example, Butler, 2003; Butler et al., 2013; Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986). At the state level, there have been efforts to develop or adopt formal definitions of formative assessment practices that guide how these practices are used in instruction. Given the different approaches and definitions that might exist for formative assessment practices, this report aims to describe how states are communicating and supporting these practices with their districts and schools.
This report outlines the approaches that state education agencies (SEAs) have taken in defining and using formative assessment practices, including practices to explicitly support students with disabilities. Our review found multiple approaches. Some states were using definitions of formative assessment practices developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO’s) Formative Assessment for Students and Teachers (FAST) collaborative, while others used definitions developed by the Smarter Balanced assessment consortium, and still others used their own state-developed definitions. Although the breadth of resources varied across states, most states provided support for formative assessment practices either through the development of their own resources or the use of third-party resources.
Considering the positive impact that formative assessment practices can have on students with disabilities, this work also examined how states provided resources that highlight inclusive and accessible practices. After compiling and reviewing information and resources from all 50 SEA websites, we found limited state resources that focused on the intersection between formative assessment practices and the needs of students with disabilities. This national landscape scan affirmed that there is still much work to be done on developing and disseminating resources highlighting formative assessment practices that are inclusive of students with disabilities.
The report includes several strategies that SEAs may want to consider that will support the use of formative assessment practices to improve instruction and learning for all students, including students with disabilities:
Research has found that formative assessment practices have the potential to support all students, including students with disabilities, and their educators in the classroom (see, for example, Butler, 2003; Butler et al., 2013; Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986). As education continues to change and adapt in the face of disrupted learning, the use of formative assessment practices is becoming increasingly recognized and used as a way to measure student progress toward learning outcomes and to support all students, including students with disabilities, in taking active roles in their learning (Brookhart & Lazarus, 2017; Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability, n.d.; Nordengren, 2020)
Black and Wiliam (1998) defined formative assessment as “all those activities undertaken by teachers—and by their students assessing themselves—that provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities” (p. 82). This definition and the implementation of formative assessment practices has been widely adopted and modified by state education agencies (SEAs), education research organizations, and schools and districts across the United States.
Much of the support for implementation and development of formative assessment practices occurs at the individual state level, where many states have defined and acknowledged the term, “formative assessment” within their SEA and then disseminated definitions and implementation supports to local education agencies (LEAs).
The purpose of this report is to provide a scan of the national landscape of definitions of formative assessment. We also sought to identify resources available from SEAs to encourage the development and use of formative assessment practices, especially those that might support formative assessment practices for students with disabilities. It is important to consider how to develop formative assessment practices that are effective and inclusive for all students, including students with disabilities, to ensure that all have opportunities to engage in these beneficial practices.
This scan focused on three research questions:
This report details current information on SEA definitions and support of the formative assessment process, and highlights several states’ ongoing work in developing and supporting formative assessment practices for students with disabilities.
Our scan of the national landscape of formative assessment practices involved reviewing SEA websites and publicly-available resources to understand how SEAs are both defining formative assessment and supporting the use of formative assessment practices for students with disabilities. The scan was conducted in Fall, 2021.
We compiled resources and information from all 50 SEA websites, and reviewed resources focused on comprehensive, balanced assessment systems and the use of formative assessment practices within these systems, but recognize that we may not have located all publicly posted information. For example, at different spots on some states’ websites, there may be different definitions of formative assessment, and we may have missed some of them because we ended the search process when a definition was found.
Our scan of formative assessment definitions suggested they could be categorized into four groups:
Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary outcomes and support students to become self-directed learners (FAST, 2018, p. 2).
The Formative Assessment Process is a deliberate process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides actionable feedback that is used to adjust ongoing teaching and learning strategies to improve students’ attainment of curricular learning targets/goals” (Smarter Balanced, 2021, p. 1).
Figure 1 portrays the states that our scan indicated fell into each of the four categories of formative assessment definitions. Appendix A presents the definitions we found for each state.
Figure 1. SEA Approaches to Defining Formative Assessment
The scan found that eight states had adopted CCSSO’s definition of formative assessment or adapted some variation of it into their own state’s definition. Ten states, all members of the Smarter Balanced assessment consortium, used the Smarter Balanced definition of formative assessment. More than half of the states (n = 26) developed their own definition, which often focused on different aspects of the formative assessment process (e.g., differences across content areas or grade levels, professional learning) than the CCSSO or Smarter Balanced definition. However, most states with a definition shared a common understanding that formative assessment involved the use of formative assessment processes and included a focus on ongoing instruction, reflection, feedback, and adjustment to support the needs of students. No definition of formative assessment was found for six states.
Our scan indicated that strategies states used to support formative assessment practices, particularly for students with disabilities, were based on four types of resources:
CCSSO Resources. CCSSO has several resources for states on formative assessment practices including the definition document (FAST, 2018) and a resource pertaining to formative assessment practices for students with disabilities (Brookhart & Lazarus, 2017), which can support states in developing and implementing the use of these practices.
Smarter Balanced Resources. Smarter Balanced provides a suite of tools, called Tools for Teachers (Smarter Balanced, 2022). These tools were created to provide educators, students, and families with standards-aligned assessments, student performance data, classroom instructional support, and professional learning. These tools included:
Third-party Resources. Several states used resources developed by third parties. Utah is an example of a state that used a third party vendor to create a customized formative assessment. The tool is called Utah Compose (Measurement Incorporated, n.d.), which is a formative assessment tool that was provided free of charge to all public school teachers and students in grades 3-12. It is a web-based writing program designed to help students improve writing through practice, immediate feedback, and guided instructional support. It includes a peer review feature where students can request feedback from their classmates. The tool’s prompts, scoring levels, and graphic organizers allow educators to differentiate the administration of the assessment within the same class, which can be useful when administering to a broad range of students.
Several states have tools created by third party vendors that allow teachers to create test items. These resources were very loosely linked to formative assessment practices. For example, this analysis found that the Georgia Department of Education (2020) used TestPad. TestPad allows teachers and administrators to create their own multiple choice and constructed response items and reading passages, and align them to standards. Several items then be can be combined to create a test that is administered to students through the state’s state longitudinal data system (SLDS) student portal. Educators can use the assessments formatively to inform instruction or summatively to measure learning. The items, passages, and tests that are developed can be shared in a bank among teachers within the same school, and among administrators within the same district. TestPad resources included accommodation guidelines for students with disabilities.
State-developed Resources. Some states developed their own resources. An example of a state that developed its own formative assessment resources that are inclusive of students with disabilities is Michigan. The Michigan Department of Education sponsors Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME) (n.d.), a statewide learning initiative promoting teacher collaboration and planning on formative assessment. FAME is designed to reach all Michigan teachers and administrators with training on the use of formative assessment practices. Some resources provided by FAME include professional learning modules and formative assessment strategies for supporting students with disabilities online.
Kentucky is another example of a state that developed its own resources about the use of formative assessment practices. In response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the state created a document on considerations for reopening schools that contained extensive information about the use of formative assessment practices (Kentucky Department of Education, 2020). The document included links to resources about including students with disabilities when using these practices. Kentucky emphasized the vital role that formative assessment practices can play:
For teachers to meet the needs of their students and to close gaps, it is imperative that educators identify and implement evidence-based practices for incorporating formative assessment into their daily instructional routines. The minute-by-minute, daily and weekly use of formative process provides teachers with the information they will need to make instructional adjustments that moves learning forward for all students (Kentucky Department of Education, 2020, p. 2).
Our review of current SEA formative assessment resources highlighted the multiple approaches that states have taken toward developing or adopting a guiding definition. Although most states offered some form of resource to support the use of formative assessment practices, very few states had resources that considered the needs of students with disabilities. This national landscape scan affirmed that there is still much work to be done on developing and disseminating resources highlighting formative assessment practices that are inclusive of students with disabilities. SEAs may want to consider several strategies that will support the use of formative assessment practices to improve instruction and learning for all students, including students with disabilities:
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 139-148. https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Inside_The_Black_Box_-_Black_and_William_601104_7.pdf
Brookhart, S. (2020). Five formative assessment strategies to improve distance learning outcomes for students with disabilities (NCEO Brief #20). National Center on Educational Outcomes.
https://nceo.umn.edu/docs/OnlinePubs/NCEOBrief20.pdf
Brookhart, S., & Lazarus, S. (2017). Formative assessment for students with disabilities. Council of Chief State School Officers. https://ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2017-12/Formative_Assessment_for_Students_with_Disabilities.pdf
Brookhart, S., & Lazarus, S. S. (2020). Pre-assessment to plan instruction for students with disabilities during distance learning (NCEO Brief #21). National Center on Educational Outcomes.
https://nceo.umn.edu/docs/OnlinePubs/NCEOBrief21.pdf
Butler, D. L. (2003). Structuring instruction to promote self-regulated learning by adolescents and adults with learning disabilities. Exceptionality, 11(1), 39-60.
https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327035EX1101_4
Butler, D. L., Schnellert, L., & Cartier, S. C. (2013). Layers of self- and co-regulation: Teachers’ co-regulating learning and practice to foster students’ self-regulated learning through reading (Article ID 845694). Education Research International.Vol. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/845694
CAST (2018). Universal design for learning guidelines(version 2.2). http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability. (n.d.). Getting started in formative assessment. WestEd. https://csaa.wested.org/formative-insights/learning-resource/getting-started-in-formative-assessment/
Chappuis, J., Stiggins, R., Chappuis, S., & Arter, J. (2009). Classroom assessment for student learning: Doing it right - using it well (2nd ed.). Assessment Training Institute, Inc. https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Classroom_Assessment_for_Student_Learning_Doing_It?id=2YouAAAAQBAJ&gl=US
Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators (FAME). (n.d.). FAME. https://famemichigan.org/
Formative Assessment for Students and Teachers (FAST). (2018). Revising the definition of formative assessment.Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
https://www.ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/Revising%20the%20Definition%20of%20Formative%20Assessment.pdf
Fuchs, L. S., & Fuchs, D. (1986). Effects of systematic formative evaluation: A meta-analysis. Exceptional Children, 53(3), 199-208.
Georgia Department of Education. (2020). TestPad.
https://www.gadoe.org/Technology-Services/Enterprise-Systems-and-Applications/SLDS/Pages/TestPAD-Training-and-Support.aspx
Kentucky Department of Education. (2020). COVID-19 considerations for re-opening schools.
https://education.ky.gov/comm/Documents/Academic%20Re-entry%20Stage%202%20FINAL.pdf
McLeskey, J., Barringer, M-D., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M., Lewis, T., Maheady, L., Rodriguez, J., Scheeler, M. C., Winn, J., & Ziegler, D. (2017). High-leverage practices in special education. Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center.
https://highleveragepractices.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/Assessmentfinal.pdf
Measurement Incorporated. (n.d.). Utah compose. https://utahcompose.com/
Nordengren, C. (2020, October 15). The power of formative assessment when the only constant is change. NWEA Teach. Learn. Grow. blog.
https://www.nwea.org/blog/2020/power-of-formative-assessment-when-only-constant-is-change/
Smarter Balanced. (2021). Understanding the formative assessment process (Tools for Teachers). The Regents of the University of California.
https://portal.smarterbalanced.org/library/en/formative-assessment-process.pdf
Smarter Balanced. (2022). Tools for teachers. The Regents of the University of California.
https://smartertoolsforteachers.org/
| State Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Formative assessment, when well-implemented, should be called formative instruction because it is a process with the purpose of evaluating student understanding in order to provide specific feedback to students in order to adjust instruction on a moment-to-moment basis. |
| Alaska | Formative assessment: a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement as intended. |
| Arizona | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Arkansas | Classroom formative assessment: During and throughout the instructional cycle as learning is happening, teachers should help to guide instruction as it is happening. Teachers should monitor and adjust based on these types of assessments. |
| California | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. The state also supplements Smarter Balanced’s definition with further description of formative assessment: Formative assessment is a process, not a test. |
| Colorado | Quick check for learning conducted by teachers throughout their class. |
| Connecticut | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Delaware | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Florida | Ongoing assessment is sometimes known as formative assessment or progress monitoring. It is designed to provide information during the teaching and learning process and to help you analyze, based on the data, how you are doing as a teacher and how your students are doing as learners. |
| Georgia | Formative assessment is assessment for learning. It takes place while instruction is still occurring to gather immediate feedback that identifies students’ academic strengths and areas for growth, to plan differentiated instruction, and to support student learning. |
| Hawaii | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Idaho | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Illinois | The formative assessment process provides a framework that demonstrates beginning teachers’ growth/progress and engages beginning teachers and their mentors in an ongoing, reflective process. |
| Indiana | Formative and interim assessments and the use of their data to guide classroom instruction at the individual student level result in increased academic success. |
| Iowa | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Kansas | Did not find a formal definition of formative assessment. |
| Kentucky | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Louisiana | Interim assessments: Evaluate student learning and monitor progress toward year-end goals and allow teachers to target and adjust instruction; administered at checkpoints throughout the year. |
| Maine | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Maryland | Supports learning during the learning process, involves both teachers and students in ongoing dialogue, descriptive feedback, and reflection through instruction. |
| Massachusetts | A formative assessment occurs mid-cycle and provides feedback that informs an educator’s practice, showing where s/he stands relative to standards and goals, and what s/he can work on next. |
| Michigan | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Minnesota | When formative assessments are embedded throughout regular instruction, it can help teachers to clarify learning intentions and identify where students are at in their learning. These types of formative assessments are short, purposeful, and can be used to differentiate instruction to guide students where they need to go next. |
| Mississippi | Did not find a formal definition of formative assessment. |
| Missouri | Common formative assessment at the classroom level is a systematic and cyclical process designed to provide timely teacher/student feedback on curricula and student learning to improve both instructional practices and academic achievement. Common formative assessment is not another instrument or event—but rather it is a collection of practices to improve teaching and accelerate learning (Chappius et al., 2009). |
| Montana | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Nebraska | Formative assessments check for student understanding during instruction. Given as needed, daily in the classroom throughout the year to help teachers address student learning needs in-the-moment. These are educator created tests. |
| Nevada | Did not find a formal definition of formative assessment. |
| New Hampshire | Assessment is for learning. Self-direction and collaboration are essential skills in the formative assessment process and metacognition is deeply embedded in these skills. |
| New Jersey | Formative assessments allow for measuring student proficiency of those target skills as the year of instruction progresses. |
| New Mexico | Formative assessment practices are inseparable from instruction and provide in-the-moment feedback to students and to gain insight into student thinking so teachers can adjust instruction to best meet students’ learning needs. |
| New York | The assessments that we can conduct throughout teaching and learning to diagnose student needs, plan our next steps in instruction, provide students with feedback they can use to improve the quality of their work, and help students see and feel in control of their journey to success. Each one reveals to students increments of achievement and how to do better next time. On these occasions, the grading function is laid aside. |
| North Carolina | In the formative assessment process, teachers collect evidence of learning to guide teaching and learning. |
| North Dakota | Did not find a formal definition of formative assessment. |
| Ohio | Formative assessments are administered to gather information that can guide student learning. Unlike their summative counterparts, formative assessments typically serve no official evaluation purpose: grades are not assigned, and assessment outcomes are not used for accountability purposes. Both students and educators work collaboratively to identify learning goals, monitor progress, and incorporate feedback throughout a unit of instruction. Strategies for formative assessment can vary from one classroom to the next. |
| Oklahoma | Uses CCSSO definition. |
| Oregon | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Pennsylvania | Classroom-based assessment that allows teachers to monitor and adjust their instructional practice in order to meet the individual needs of students. |
| Rhode Island | Formative assessment is a process that takes place in the classroom to enable learning. It takes place continuously to assure an ongoing cycle of evidence collection and feedback to help move learning forward. |
| South Carolina | Did not find a formal definition of formative assessment. |
| South Dakota | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Tennessee | Formative (Interim, Benchmark) Assessment: Measures student learning throughout the year so educators can determine if students are making progress and how best to adjust instruction; for purposes of this Tennessee report, formative refers to interim and benchmark assessments as well. |
| Texas | Used to measure student performance on specific student expectations to inform a teacher’s instructional choices, such as making adjustments to unit and lesson plans. |
| Utah | Formative Assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to give teachers and students the opportunity to identify strengths and weaknesses with specific knowledge, skills, and abilities outlined in the Utah Core Standards. It is often referred to as assessment for learning. |
| Vermont | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Virginia | Did not find a formal definition of formative assessment. |
| Washington | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| West Virginia | Uses Smarter Balanced definition. |
| Wisconsin | Formative assessment or formative practices play a critical role in strategic assessment systems. They are designed to quickly inform instruction by providing specific and immediate feedback through daily, ongoing instructional strategies that are student- and classroom-centered, and that answer “what comes next for student learning?” |
| Wyoming | Uses CCSSO definition. |
Note: Definitions were taken from individual SEA websites.
This appendix contains information about several resources that provide information on designing or adapting formative assessment practices for students with disabilities: