A cognitive approach to assessment for learning: assessing the impact of changing formative assessment practices in a secondary school science faculty.

This research and development project took place across a science faculty in a UK state secondary school. Following trials, an assessment intervention was introduced to all science classes across key stages three and four in one academic year. The intervention sought to improve on an aspect of formative assessment, regular short tests, by combining literature on formative and summative assessment design and implementation with evidence from cognitive science relating to the nature of learning over time and how to improve it. The design of the intervention came from applying ideas from research to the specific context of the school, science faculty, staff and students at School X. Quantitative analysis suggests an improvement in examination performance for students of all abilities in years 9 and 10 but a slight decrease in examination performance for students in years 7 and 8. Student and teacher opinion about the intervention is that it benefits learning. The primary reasons for this benefit are identified as improved diagnostic feedback as a result of increasing the inferential capacity of the assessment and improvements in the self-regulatory behaviour of students.