- Specifically what a student grasps and what he/she struggles with.
- The little things: correct copying, lining up numbers, careful print, following directions.
- What teaching works--if most or all miss it, that's an instructional issue.
- Who needs reteaching related to one test, most tests.
- Students who need alternate teaching strategies and possibly new seating.
- The classwork/homework learning connection: do test scores match up with classwork and homework scores/performance.
- Information that informs follow-up teaching strategies.
- A quick way to report student performance to family members.
Correcting a set of formative tests may take one-two hours. It's a time consuming task, but a task that positively affects student learning.
