FALA framework: A learning progression for novice teachers’ use of formative assessment

Abstract

Formative assessment has been identified as one way that teachers can gather critical information about a student’s level of understanding in order to make informed instructional adaptations that meet the needs of all students (NCTM, 2000; Shepard et al., 2005). Over several decades, research has shown the potential of formative assessment to effectively improve student achievement (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Kingston & Nash, 2011). Despite its potential, issues in preparing teachers to implement formative assessment practices has kept its potential from being realized (Schoenfeld, 2015) and many teachers have limited understanding of its use (Shepard et al., 2005). In order to better understand how to prepare teachers to use formative assessment, a trajectory describing how teachers develop formative assessment knowledge and practice is needed. The Formative Assessment Levels of Appropriation (FALA) framework evolved from a larger qualitative research study on the evolution of formative assessment knowledge and practice of novice teachers from teacher preparation through their third year of teaching. Grounded in activity theory, the FALA framework describes the levels of appropriation (Grossman et al., 1998) for the five aspects of formative assessment defined by Black & Wiliam (2009). Table 1 provides an example of the framework for one aspect of formative assessment—clarifying intentions and criteria for success.