Formative Assessment: A Meta-Analysis and a Call for Research
We checked this card's citation and the finding we state against the source's own page or record in October 2026.
What it found
Formative assessment had a positive but modest effect, well below the 0.40 to 0.70 often claimed for it. Effects looked larger in English language arts than in math or science, and larger when it came with professional development or computer-based systems. Most of the 300 studies screened were too flawed to use.
Effect size, as the source reports it: weighted mean effect size 0.20 (median 0.25).
What kind of study it is
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Weight
- A synthesis: it pools or weighs many studies, so it carries the most weight on the evidence meter.
- Sample
- Over 300 K–12 studies screened; 13 usable, giving 42 effect sizes
- Who
- School-age children (K–12)
Read it
doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2011.00220.x · ERIC record EJ951173
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Checked against the source in October 2026. All studies · How we rate the evidence · Something wrong? Tell us.