Guide for teachers · nursery to secondary
Formative assessment
Practical strategies for a real school week: make success criteria clear, collect evidence of learning and give feedback learners can act on. Explore examples for nursery, primary and secondary classrooms, and try the Amosia GRID teacher app.
Web app for teachers & schools · Free trial until Jan 2027 · No credit card required
From the guide to your classroom: Amosia GRID keeps learners, success criteria and observation notes together in one teacher web app.
Amosia GRID / Classroom
Sample classroom · fictional learners
Year 5 · Mathematics · Fractions
| Learner / skill | Compare fractions | Explain the method | Apply independently |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Morgan | |||
| Sam Taylor | |||
| Jamie Lee | |||
| Robin Patel |
- Introduced
- Practising
- Mastered
Formative feedback · sample draft
Alex, your current focus is to explain the method. Observation: “Explained the first two steps clearly; needed a prompt for the final step.” Next: try another example and explain each step in your own words.
Illustrative preview, not live AI. In the app, you review and edit every draft before sharing.
What it is
What is formative assessment?
Formative assessment is the process of gathering and using evidence of learning to decide what to teach or practise next. It becomes formative when teachers or learners act on that evidence, not simply when a task is marked. Black and Wiliam describe this evidence-to-action process in their 2009 research paper.
- Where is the learner going? Learning intentions and success criteria.
- Where is the learner now? Evidence from questions, tasks and observation.
- How do they get there? Feedback and a concrete next step.
Assessment for learning
Formative vs summative assessment
| Question | Formative | Summative |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Guide the next learning step | Summarise achievement |
| When | During learning, while changes are possible | At a reporting point or the end of a unit |
| Example | An exit ticket used to plan tomorrow’s lesson | An end-of-unit result used in a report |
| What follows | Feedback, practice or adjusted teaching | A recorded judgement against goals |
The same task can serve either purpose. What matters is how the evidence is used, not whether the task is a quiz, an observation or a written assignment.
Core strategies
01
Clarify learning intentions and success criteria
Learners know what they are learning and how they will recognise success.
02
Give feedback that moves learning forward
Specific, timely comments about the task — not about the person.
03
Make learners owners of their learning
Self- and peer-assessment against shared criteria.
04
Gather evidence through observation
From nursery to upper secondary: watch, note, plan the next step.
Seeing progress
A simple progress scale beats a gradebook average
Instead of averaging marks, note where each learner stands on each goal. Five states are enough to plan tomorrow's lesson:
- Not yet started
- Introduced
- Practising
- Needs support
- Mastered
In Amosia GRID, each column is a learning goal or success criterion and each row is a learner. A progress state and a brief observation become evidence for your next lesson and a formative feedback draft.
Amosia GRID / Classroom
Sample classroom · fictional learners
Year 5 · Mathematics · Fractions
| Learner / skill | Compare fractions | Explain the method | Apply independently |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Morgan | |||
| Sam Taylor | |||
| Jamie Lee | |||
| Robin Patel |
- Introduced
- Practising
- Mastered
Formative feedback · sample draft
Alex, your current focus is to explain the method. Observation: “Explained the first two steps clearly; needed a prompt for the final step.” Next: try another example and explain each step in your own words.
Illustrative preview, not live AI. In the app, you review and edit every draft before sharing.
Web app for teachers & schools · Free trial until Jan 2027 · No credit card required
Across Europe
A shared direction in European education
The OECD’s study of formative assessment in secondary classrooms examines how teachers use evidence to support learning. The examples here are curriculum-independent: choose goals from your own national curriculum and school policy, then connect observation, feedback and the next teaching step.
Amosia GRID · made in the EU
Amosia GRID: formative assessment in a teacher web app
Turn your success criteria into classroom goals. Record each learner’s progress and a short observation during the lesson, then use that evidence for the next teaching step and a draft of formative feedback — without separate paper records. You review and edit every word. Data stays on EU servers, GDPR Article 28 agreement included.
Try Amosia GRID App FreeWeb app for teachers & schools · Free trial until Jan 2027 · No credit card required
FAQ
Questions teachers ask
Does formative assessment replace grades?
No. Formative assessment is not a type of grade but a way of working during learning. Grades or end-of-term reports are summative. The two coexist — the formative part makes sure the final judgement rests on documented evidence.
Can I combine it with grading?
Yes, most schools do. Separate the moments when learners get information to improve (feedback, criteria, self-assessment) from the moments that count towards a mark. When a grade is attached to every piece of feedback, learners tend to look only at the number.
How much time does it take?
More at first, while you prepare criteria and routines. Many techniques take minutes: traffic lights, mini-whiteboards, exit tickets. The real time saver is recording observations as they happen instead of reconstructing them from memory at the end of term.
How do I manage it with a large class?
Don't try to see everyone every day. Focus on a few learners or one goal per lesson, use whole-class response techniques, and involve peers in feedback against shared criteria.
Does it work in early years and secondary school?
Yes. In nursery it is natural: you observe, note what a child can do and plan the next activity. In secondary school it drives rubrics, draft feedback and student reflection before exams.
What is Amosia GRID?
An EU-built tool for ongoing classroom observation. Teachers log where each learner is with one tap, see a progress map of the class and get a written-feedback draft based only on their own notes. Data is hosted in the EU and a GDPR Article 28 agreement is signed before any student data is entered.
Web app for teachers & schools · Free trial until Jan 2027 · No credit card required
Key research
- Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (1998). Assessment and Classroom Learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice.
- Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability.
- OECD (2005). Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms. OECD Publishing.