The Practical Research On Formative Assessment In Middle School English Teaching

Educational assessment is quite a young science. In 1930s, through long study, American scholar Tylor proved, if we regard developing high-level intelligence and skills as an educational aim, then these skills must be measured. Educational assessment is based on educational assessment theories put forward by Tylor. It is proved by practice that scientific assessment is needed by scientific education activities. Using educational assessment rightly is very important to the improvement of education quality. Educational assessment can be classified formative assessment and terminative assessment. Now, assessment method in our English teaching redundantly depends on terminative assessment.Traditional summative assessment values result more than process, knowledge more than quality, and selection more than encouragement. This kind of assessment can not bring the activity, creativity or initiative of the students into full play. It has led our English teaching and learning into an odd"examination—orientated education"circle. Our nation's Compulsory Education Reform Essentials of English Curriculum proposes that the current assessment mechanism should be reformed, a new assessment system which accords with the demands of quality education should be established to promote constant development of the students, the unceasing progress of teaching and learning, and steady improvement of the curriculum. Now the assessment reform experiments which focus on formative assessment, have been carried out in some primary schools and middle schools all over the country.This thesis looks back to the origin of the educational assessment and the present research on it at home and abroad. It also inquires into the theoretical basis of the pedagogy and psychology of the formative assessment in terms of development education view, multiple intelligence theory and constructivist education principles. These advanced educational ideologies indicate the macro directions to the formative assessment reform.Through the formative assessment experiment, the thesis raised the experiment goals, laid down the experiment contents and standards and designed the formative assessment tools.During the experiment, we adopted different ways of assessment. And through the comparison of qualitative and quantitative before and after experiment, we can conclude that formative assessment has its incomparable advantages. It can promote the students'ability to grasp English knowledge, improve their language skills, encourage their positive emotion and attitude towards English learning. It can also develop their cooperative spirit, cultivate their ability to study independently.