This is the first of a two-part series on embedded formative assessment in remote learning environments.

Schools have historically featured students taking summative assessments in formal, monitored, physical spaces. In many schools, these are end-of-chapter quizzes, end-of-unit tests, or end-of-semester exams administered in a classroom under the supervision of a teacher. Many of these summative assessments are substantially fact-based and together they constitute a fundamental approach to evaluating student learning. Indeed, student scores on summative assessments often constitute a majority of their final grade — especially in secondary classrooms. 

Yet, as many teachers have learned, it is almost impossible to monitor student activity during remote-learning summative assessments. Schools cannot control home networks, or student cell phones, so it’s easy for students to cheat: They can Google answers, text classmates for answers, or simply ask someone in their home for help. As a result, many teachers are left wondering how to recalibrate assessment now that traditional, fact-based summative assessments are no longer viable. 

Fortunately, teachers can leverage tech-aided, embedded formative assessment to reap a wealth of important student information for assessment purposes. Teachers can leverage technology to observe the student learning process in action…