Formative Assessment in Online Learning Environments: effective practice in first cycle of education

Abstract

The health emergency has partially modified the teaching practices that were usually implemented in the classroom, especially after a more massive use of distance or integrated digital teaching. From some national surveys conducted with teachers, the difficulty in implementing an adequate assess-ment of students’ learning and skills during online teaching emerged: often, teachers used the same prac-tices and procedures traditionally implemented in classroom, not considering the changed context in which the latter were inserted. Regardless of the cogent emergency situation, we believe that every teacher must be able to know and use different assessment methods and tools, even in online or blended learning environments. In fact, evaluation has an important formative function that accompanies the entire teaching/learning process, which must absolutely not be neglected or entrusted to random interventions. The aim of the contribution is to describe the contributions of formative assessment in the teaching/learning process presenting, at the same time, practices and tools that can also be implemented in online learning environments. The target taken as a reference is that relating to the first cycle of education.