The future of Assessment for Learning under Michael Gove

Assessment for Learning (AfL) has for a long time been seen as the foundation of good classroom practice; indeed as the very business of teaching and learning. 

That teachers should provide their students with excellent formative comments has become a given. However, with the government’s proposals to increase terminal assessment at GCSE, truly embedded formative assessment is needed now more than ever.

There is nothing particularly new or innovative about AfL, rather AfL or formative assessment should be seen as a fundamental principle of good teaching.

Essentially, formative assessment is concerned with the constant and persistent monitoring of student progress by analysing data, using this as a vehicle by which to open up lines of dialogue with learners about where they are and – crucially – what they need to do next in order to progress. In practice, this process manifests itself in any number of ways within the classroom, including questioning, marking and feedback, and use of success criteria.