Redefine The Future of Formative Assessment: Exploring Innovations in Digital Tools with Brightpath and TransforMATive
Executive Summary
Great minds think alike, which is why 3P Learning partnered with TransforMATive to convene a summit of Multi-Academy Trust leaders. For one evening, experts from diverse educational backgrounds established a forum for collective insights and forward-thinking assessment initiatives. With a focus on shaping the future of evaluating student performance, this collaboration set the stage for transformative conclusions and recommendations. Dive into the article below to uncover more. Jonny Wathen, Founder & Director from TransforMATive has kindly written up the key takeaways from the event.
As the chair of the evening and as an associate for ‘TransforMATive’ – it was a great opportunity to be able to facilitate discussions between leaders from across the MAT sector with leaders 3P Learning kindly sponsoring the event. We all felt very honoured to be hosted in the Boisdale Restaurant in the Heart of London. We are very grateful to both Jenna Pipchuck and Sandy Heldsinger from 3P Learning for their leadership and support across the evening.
During the evening, we wanted to delve into the transformative power of digital assessment tools in education. The evening focused on the latest innovations reshaping formative assessments in writing and mathematics, highlighting how these advancements are revolutionising teaching methods and student learning outcomes in modern classrooms. Leaders from 3P Learning stated their desire to listen and learn from educators at the chalk face of these developments.
The dinner attracted a wide selection of leaders from across the MAT sector. We were joined by Curriculum Directors, Directors of Technology, Directors of Schools Improvement, CEOs and Deputy CEOs, and Digital Transformation leads. The diversity of the group led to rich conversations and insights. What was evident was that all leaders from the MAT sector were at very different starting points, but were all keen to learn from each other.
As the dinner began, the group acknowledged that society stands at the crossroads of education and technology. The landscape of learning is evolving rapidly, shaped by the ever- changing digital world. The role as educators and leaders is not only to keep pace with this changebut to harness it, to enhance the educationalexperiences of all students.We found it essential that the discussion focused on the pivotal element of education: formative assessment. We recognised that this evaluation process is crucial in understanding and supporting the individual learning journeys of all students. In the realms of writing and maths, formative assessment plays avital role in developing critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.
As the discussions continued, some colleagues emphasised that digital tools are now revolutionising formative assessment in these core subjects. Innovations in technology offer unprecedented opportunities to personalise learning, provide immediate feedback and engage students in new and exciting ways. From AI-driven writing assistants to adaptive learning platformsin maths, these tools are not just changing how teaching is delivered, but they are transforming how students learn. The discussion outlined that the education sector was facing serious challenges in this area, such as ensuring equitable access to technology, maintaining academic integrity, and balancing digital innovations with traditional teaching methodologies.
As the dinner progressed, three clear themes stemmed from the discussions: the practical challenges and opportunities using Digital Assessment, methodologies using Writing assessments and how the leadership of people and change was the key to this. Let’s dive deeper into these themes, including a wide range of recommendations.
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Digital Assessment
Integration and Implementation: Digital assessment tools need to be seamlessly integrated into the existing educational frameworks, especially in subjects like writing and maths, without disrupting the traditional learning process.
Data Privacy and Security: With the increasing use of digital assessment tools, it’s imperative to ensure the privacy and security of student data. Additionally, trusts need to publish their policies to reassure parents and students that their data is stored securely.
Equity and Accessibility: Digital assessment tools are a positive way to promote equity in education, particularly in providing access to students from varied socio-economic backgrounds and with different learning needs.
Feedback and Adaptability: Digital assessment tools should be optimised to provide meaningful, personalised feedback to students.
Teacher Training and Support: Professional development is the key to the success of the digital assessment and going forward educators will need significant support to effectively utilise digital assessment tools in their teaching practices.
Long-Term Impact and Evaluation: We must assess the long-term impact of digital assessment tools on student learning and achievement. This entails designing benchmarks to evaluate their successes and identify areas for improvement.
Writing Assessment
From across the sector, Curriculum and Standards teams are focusing upon improving student writing performance as a priority. Therefore, MATs should harness the efficiency of these systems to boost students learning.
Enhancing Teacher Skills: The sector needs to effectively increase the assessment skills of literacy teachers, ensuring they are equipped to provide constructive feedback on student writing in a diverse educational landscape.
Efficiency in Assessment: MAT leaders should be employing strategies to make the assessment of writing more efficient and less time- consuming for teachers, while still maintaining a high standard of accuracy and feedback quality.
Role of Assessment in Literacy Improvement: MAT leaders should prioritise assessment as a critical component in improving student literacy. They should also ensure that regular formative assessments positively impact students’ writing abilities and confidence.
Feedback and Improvement Loop: We need the AI feedback from writing assessments to be structured to provide meaningful and actionable insights for students. Used by all schools, it could be a powerful tool for student development.
People & Change
Professional Development: Intensive professional development strategies should be implemented to boost teachers’ skills and confidence in assessing student work, particularly in light of the evolving demands of digital and writing assessments. Educators need to be the innovators.
Balancing Workload: With teachers already facing significant workloads, they need to be supported in acquiring new assessment skills without adding to their existing responsibilities.
Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Feedback mechanisms need to be established for teachers to continuously improve their assessment techniques. Peer collaboration and mentoring can play an important role in enhancing their assessment capabilities and confidence.
Strategic Change Management: MATs should collaborate and ensure successful change management strategies have been employed in schools to smoothly transition teachers into new initiatives. It’s also essential to ensure that these changes are sustainable and do not negatively impact their existing workload.
As Chair, I am grateful for the wonderful contributions made by all colleagues throughout the evening. It is an exciting time ahead and we believe these evenings of collaboration will only accelerate the great work of MATs working together.