How Can Formative Assessment Support the Curriculum?
Curriculum defines the content and sequence of instruction. It identifies the process and products of teaching and learning. Some curricula are broadly designed—think of a scope and sequence or a curriculum map. Other curricula include daily objectives, specific content, learning activities, and assessment strategies. Formative assessment can support all kinds of curricula by providing essential feedback about what students are learning and how well they are learning it. Formative assessment includes strategies that each teacher can employ on a regular basis in the classroom to track learning. Teachers can then change the content and products of instruction to customize learning based on a student’s achievement of curricular goals. In this respect, formative assessment guides curriculum through a reflective process focused on student attainment of the goals and standards.
