Formative Assessment: A Recipe for Student Persistence

There are experts on formative assessment in every school district in the country but they are not often recognized as such. Who are they? They are the athletic coaches in the building.

How does a quarterback learn to improve his effectiveness in passing? How does a runner chip time off of her mile? How does a basketball player improve his free-throw percentage? How does the swimmer become more efficient in the water?

In each case, the athlete has a teacher/coach who watches and provides feedback, records their performance, and involves the player/athlete in the analysis of that recording, and then begins the process of using that information to work on continuous improvement for the next competition.

We sometimes marvel at the difference between a student’s persistence level on the playing field versus what is demonstrated in the classroom. The same can be said for every student if you substitute sports with whatever they are interested in—a job, playing music, other activities. But what can we learn from the observation that students display varying levels of commitment, depending on the task?

In part, we can connect the so-called soft skill of persistence with the use of formative assessment in the classroom. Students can learn persistence if they are taught that learning is a process. Involve them as partners in that process and their motivation improves.

James Popham, in his 2008 book titled Transformative Assessment, offers the following straightforward definition of formative assessment: “Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers or students use assessment-based evidence to adjust what they are currently doing.”

A Recipe for Providing Formative Assessment

If sports analogies strike you as stale, try this: How does the expert cook make the perfect soup? Let’s break it down:

1. Find a recipe that looks good  and plan to use it (the end product in mind)
2. Follow the instructions, with permission to change them if it makes sense to do so (learning progression)
3. Periodically taste the soup to check its progress—make adjustments as needed (formative assessment and learning progression adjustment)
4. Enjoy dinner–the final product, considering what might work best the next time (summative assessment and reflection)

Teachers struggling to implement formative assessment in meaningful ways can use Popham’s list of critical attributes to simplify the process:

1. With the end-learning goal in mind, plan a process that facilitates that learning.
2. Decide how you will assess whether students are learning the skills and content along the way.
3. Make adjustments in the instructions, in the content, or in the support you provide to students during the learning progression.
4. Involve students by having them make their own adjustments in their learning process, giving them ownership in the progression.

Cultivating Persistence through a Growth Mindset: Practical Strategies

While formative assessment provides the framework, truly nurturing student persistence requires intentional strategies that embed a growth mindset into the daily fabric of the classroom.

Shift Your Language: The words we use can profoundly impact a student’s belief system.

• Praise Effort and Process, Not Just Outcomes: Instead of “You’re so smart!” try, “I can see how much effort you put into understanding this complex problem; your persistence really paid off.” Or, “Your strategy for breaking down that essay prompt was very effective.” This teaches students that their hard work and approach lead to success, not just innate ability.
• Frame Mistakes as Learning Opportunities: When a student struggles, avoid language that implies failure. Instead, say, “What did we learn from that attempt?” or “That didn’t work this time, but what could we try differently next?” This normalizes struggle and positions challenges as stepping stones.
• Emphasize Improvement Over Perfection: Focus conversations on progress. “Look how much your writing has improved since the beginning of the semester!” or “You’ve really grasped this concept compared to last week.”

Teach Brain Science (Simply): Help students understand that their brains are like muscles that grow stronger with exercise. Share age-appropriate analogies about neurons making new connections when they learn something new or push through a challenge. Knowing that their brains can change empowers them.

Encourage Reflection and Goal Setting: Provide structured opportunities for students to reflect on their learning journey.

• Exit Tickets: Ask questions like, “What was challenging for you today, and how did you try to overcome it?” or “What’s one thing you want to improve on for tomorrow’s lesson?”
• Learning Journals: Students can regularly jot down their learning processes, what they found difficult, and strategies they employed.
• Small, Achievable Goals: Help students set short-term, specific learning goals. The act of achieving these small goals builds confidence and reinforces the idea that effort leads to mastery.

Provide Timely, Specific, and Actionable Feedback: Formative assessment is the engine of this process.

• Focus on the “What” and “How”: Instead of “Good job,” explain what was good and how they achieved it. “Your argument on page two was particularly strong because you supported it with three clear pieces of evidence.”
• Guide, Don’t Just Correct: Instead of simply marking an answer wrong, ask a guiding question: “What formula did you use here? Let’s re-examine that step.”
• Provide Opportunities for Revision: The feedback loop is incomplete without a chance to apply it. Build in time for students to revise their work based on your feedback, demonstrating that learning is an iterative process.

Persistence is one of the Habits of Mind that relate to college and career success. People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve their knowledge and skills through effort. People without that mindset often give up.  In the quest to change classroom and school culture to one that fosters confidence and success in all students, teachers can use the formative assessment process as a key strategy in helping students who otherwise believe that their skill set and knowledge are fixed.

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