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- Vol 5 RE: Chapters 1, 3, 5, App B
- Vol 5 TE: App C
formative assessmentfeedback usequality criteriaself-monitoringevaluative expertiseassessment exemplarsfeedback-based revisionself-regulated learningJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Sadler develops a theory of formative assessment for complex work judged against multiple criteria. Feedback becomes formative only when information about performance is used to reduce the gap between a learner’s current work and a desired standard.
Key ideas
To do this independently, students must understand what quality means, compare their own work with that standard, and possess strategies for closing the gap. Teacher comments alone cannot produce self-monitoring if standards remain tacit or students lack evaluative expertise. Exemplars, comparison, discussion of criteria, and authentic experience making judgements can help learners develop a concept of quality, including aspects not readily captured by analytic rubrics. The account applies most strongly to open, qualitative performances rather than tasks scored simply right or wrong.
Why it matters
For educators, formative design should move beyond delivering corrections: make quality visible through varied examples, involve students in justified judgements, connect feedback to revision, and create repeated cycles of production and improvement. The long-term aim is not permanent teacher dependence but the learner’s growing ability to monitor and regulate work while it is being produced.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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