A Review on Formative Assessment Strategies in English Teaching-Learning of CBSE Schools

Abstract

Formative assessment as the assessment of learning takes the shape of summative in general, and thus becomes assessment of learning in majority of the CBSE schools. This is not well addressed in majority of them, either because of the negligence or lack of professionalism of the teachers towards the teaching learning process in general, and English in particular. The experiences of capacity building programme for teachers on CCE, clearly indicates that like other school subjects or more, English teaching learning fails to design and implement formative assessment in its real essence. Over emphasis on the quantity of work and the products, rather than the processes, teacher initiated formative assessment activities defeat the scope for diagnosis and remediation, which are supposed to be the heart and soul of any formative assessment. Unfortunately assessment becomes mere teacher activity for collecting evidences. This paper is based on the survey and discussion with teachers, to discuss about the misconceptions of English teachers about formative assessment, how English teaching learning nullifies the scope of applied reasoning and re-emphasizes rote learning through worksheets, projects. Though the teachers try to design formative assessment techniques, in implementation they fail for the real formative assessment rather it becomes another summative. This paper also attempts to suggest some measures to improve the formative assessment in English teaching learning process.