The Effectiveness and Features of Formative Assessment in US K-12 Education: A Systematic Review

Hansol Lee, Huy Q. Chung, Yu Zhang, Jamal Abedi, Mark Warschauer2020Applied Measurement in Education, 33(2), 124–140

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 small positive effect on learning overall, with similar benefits in math, literacy and the arts. Effects were larger when students were supported to assess themselves, when the evidence was formal (written feedback on quizzes, for example), and when the cycle ran within or between units rather than minute to minute.

Effect size, as the source reports it: d = 0.29 overall.

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: 33 US K–12 studies with a control group, 126 effect sizes
Who: School-age children (K–12)

Read it

doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2020.1732383 · ERIC record EJ1248635

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Cite this study

Lee, H., Chung, H. Q., Zhang, Y., Abedi, J., & Warschauer, M. (2020). The effectiveness and features of formative assessment in US K-12 education: A systematic review. Applied Measurement in Education, 33(2), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2020.1732383

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