Formative Feedback Tools Lessons from the Design of Formative Feedback Tools for Teachers

Objective: We present findings from the initial phase of our collaborative design process to build handheld, formative assessment tools for teachers. Specifically we report on 1) a survey of the variety of teacher-level data collection processes in the school, and 2) the early tool-prototyping process. Background: Prior work demonstrated the important role played by formative feedback systems. The study also revealed that school data systems have at least two levels: a district-sponsored, technologically-complex summative system and a distributed, fragmented teacher-driven formative system with information rarely exchanged across these levels and a lack of formative assessment tools for teachers. Methods: Via a Design-Based Research process we collaborated with 13 elementary school teachers, leaders, and staff. We examined district-level summative data systems as well as teacher-level data collection practices and tools and iteratively designed handheld formative assessment tools. Results: Although we found patterns in how teachers collected and recorded data, we also found that teachers valued the ability to customize their data-collection tools. The early design process highlighted the tension between standardization and customization. Conclusion: A design intended to create a common vocabulary about classroom assessment can be perceived as a threat to teacher