The implementation of formative assessment in Lithuanian schools: what tendencies are observed from the national students’ achievement surveys?

Tarptautiniai ir nacionaliniai mokinių pasiekimų tyrimai rodo, kad Lietuvos mokinių pasiekimai yra žemesni nei EBPO šalių narių vidurkis. Nacionaliniu lygmeniu keliami ambicingi tikslai – iki 2021 m. pagerinti mokinių pasiekimus. Šiuolaikinė mokslinė literatūra ir naujausi tyrimai rodo, kad vienas svarbiausių veiksnių siekiant geresnių mokymosi rezultatų yra veiksmingas grįžtamasis ryšys ir kitų formuojamojo vertinimo strategijų taikymas. Nagrinėjant 2014 ir 2015 m. nacionalinių mokinių pasiekimų tyrimų duomenis apžvelgiamos formuojamojo vertinimo raiškos formos Lietuvos bendrojo ugdymo mokyklose ir jų atitiktis mokslininkų suformuluotai formuojamojo vertinimo sampratai.The current challenges of Lithuanian education system are reflected in the poor learning outcomes as indicated by national and international student achievement surveys: a relatively small number of Lithuanian students perform at the highest achievement levels in PISA and the average performance of 15-year-old trails that of its Baltic neighbours (OECD, 2017). The influence of low socioeconomic status of student families on disparities in learning outcomes is also a big concern for the country. The scientific research provides some insights into how student achievement could benefit if certain educational policies and practices were adopted. The works of Hattie (2009), Black and Wiliam (1998), Wiliam (2012) focus on effective feedback techniques and formative assessment strategies that are proved to contribute to high learning gains. In Lithuania students’ achievement surveys were carried out in 2014 and 2015, the results represent students’ perspective on how formative assessment is implemented at schools and what are the effects of some variables that are attributed to formative assessment on learning outcomes. In the article, national tendencies related to implementation of formative assessment based on survey results are discussed and compared to international trends. The analysis revealed that the use of formative assessment in Lithuanian schools is not effective enough to improve student learning. Policy makers should prioritize formative assessment policies and invest into teacher training