Clarke, Shirley. (2001). Unlocking Formative Assessment—Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils’ Learning in the Primary Classroom. Reviewed by John Hudson, Richmond School District, British Columbia, Canada

Clarke, Shirley. (2001). Unlocking Formative Assessment—Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils’ Learning in the Primary Classroom. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 141 pp. $28.64 (Paper) ISBN 0-340-72531-1 Reviewed by John Hudson Richmond School District British Columbia, Canada February 21, 2005 The fourth edition of Shirley Clarke’s “Unlocking Formative Assessment”, is concrete proof that this is still the most useful book for primary teachers and administrators seeking practical applications for formative assessment. In nine chapters the author guides us from understanding the meaning and purpose of formative assessment through its daily uses in classroom and administration. Practical examples (including case studies, personal accounts by teachers and administrators and photocopiable resources) support and illustrate each concept. This edition addresses three additional aspects of formative assessment: monitoring, questioning and self-esteem. Clarke defines formative assessment using a gardening analogy: “If we think of our children as plants... summative assessment of the plants is the process of simply measuring them. The measurements might be interesting to compare and analyse, but, in themselves, they do not affect the growth of the plants. Formative assessment, on the other hand, is the garden equivalent of feeding and watering the plants - directly affecting their growth.” (2001, p.2) The author believes that a clear understanding of the difference between summative and formative assessment is key to successful teacher application and student improvement. Clarke commends Black and Wiliam’s seminal research*(1998) in refining the definition of formative assessment and in garnering its acceptance by the educational community at large. She wrote this book to fill the need for practical methods to implement formative assessment. In that task, she has succeeded very well. It is hard not to enjoy, for example, the clarity Clarke brings to the need for starting a lesson by first firmly establishing a group of learning intentions. These goals and targets are at the heart of what educators do, and the direct introduction of what is to be learned gives students a palpable destination upon which to focus their efforts and wonder. Once again, very clear examples of long-term, medium-term and short-term plans are included with the caveat that they be guided by results of student needs and progress to date. Next, Clarke describes how to develop a ‘learning culture’ with suggestions for whole-school initiatives that focus on these central tenets: make sure the learning intentions are clear; separate task instructions, success criteria and the learning intention; include the students in creating success criteria; informing them why the material is being learned; provide visual representations of these criteria; and, access a variety of learning styles in the process. Examples of the kinds of visuals Clarke recommends have the dual purpose of facilitating teachers’ own understandings of these concepts, and of being useful first steps for introducing students to them. Sharing the learning intentions, Clarke advises, is a powerful force in shaping children’s attitude(s) towards their own learning and later, towards their own self-esteem. Another key part of formative evaluation, Clarke writes, is pupil self-evaluation. The positive effects of examining one’s own work are well documented here, so, once again, Clarke’s case studies and photocopiable materials are helpful in developing her readers’ understanding as well as in providing practical (,) easy - to - implement resources. From the perspective of an educational leader, Clarke’s book provides a solid framework for establishing a practical school culture around formative assessment. In terms of existing institutional practices, Clarke’s methods and ideas are relatively easy to adopt. They are also, clearly, child-centered, since they repeatedly provide students with structure and feedback until greater success is achieved. Concerning a more specialized high-stakes assessment context, Clarke provides a framework for data gathering that supports a school’s practical need for summative data on student achievement. Clarke’s perspective here is especially useful since the students’ need for safety while en route to a deeper level of understanding and expertise is protected even as the engines of data reap their due. This, Clarke emphasizes, is the whole point of formative assessment: to provide feedback to all partners in the educational community according to their needs. Students need to grow, try, err, struggle and ultimately succeed in a safe, nurturing environment; but schools also need reliable and meaningful summative data. A further strength of this book is Clarke’s explanation of the need to shift from external to internal motivators. A culture that provides concrete reward markers like stickers, gold cards etc., has a disproportionate focus on rewards themselves compared to the achievement they are intended to promote. This has the potential to create a disempowering and unnecessarily competitive environment. There is, in my personal view, considerable influence and hegemony in assessment: whatever we assess strongly tends to become the curriculum; so do we want to reward children for ‘manufacturing’ behaviour to receive rewards? Or should we nurture learning-focussed, self-motivated students who ‘own’ the products of their learning? Clarke makes it very clear that the external motivation is really a systemic assessment system that harnesses the force of assessment for artificial ends. The power of assessment to motivate must be harnessed to ensure the students directly benefit from the products of assessment. In a formative assessment environment, students seeking their own truth along this clear path to success become more independent, less dependent on external approval and are more attuned to the learning intention and the criteria for success. Many analogies come to mind as I reflected upon this book, but one close to my heart is the study of music. I remember two different music teachers. One instinctively applied principles of formative assessment, but focused on the emotional force of acquiring the music itself, giving this fledgling student encouragement, suggestions, techniques, and all the tools required to create music beyond the simple decoding of the notes. Naturally becoming passionate about the power of the music in my own hands, I worked feverishly, caring about each twist and turn of the music in order to be able, one day, to move an audience to tears. A second teacher was equally well-meaning, but relied on external motivation, giving stars for scales well done, pieces learned, notes right and competitions entered. To my mind, external motivation misses the opportunity to build empowerment. Students of that second teacher may get all the notes right and often go home happy with a new star in each successive book. But will they continue to practice music outside of the ‘token economy’ motivational/assessment context? Moreover, on one day when I had prepared particularly well, I wondered what the very empty feeling was when my teacher admitted she had accidentally run out of stars. Clarke’s book has helped me to capture the simplicity of formative assessment, and to be able to distinguish its practices and values more clearly from those of summative assessment. Whether you are an educational leader, a novice or seasoned educator, Clarke provides ample (well-supported) practical, use-tomorrow strategies, with photocopiable resources and administrative blueprints that will get a school-wide promotion effort started easily. Although the book is written with primary students in mind, its application, in principle, can be adapted to be useful throughout the school system. This interesting book is an essential item on every educator’s professional bookshelf and is also a very pleasurable read. Reference Black, P. and Wiliam, D.(1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. (London: King’s College School of Education, 1998). About the Reviewer John Hudson Vice Principal, William Bridge Elementary school Richmond School District (BC Canada) John Hudson is a Vice Principal in Richmond, British Columbia, home of the Vancouver airport. A grandfather and veteran teacher of thirty years, he is passionately interested in education and assessment in particular, having written his master’s major paper on the subject.