Abstract:

Formative assessment practices are crucial for informing teaching to meet students' learning needs, yet their effective implementation in mathematics classrooms remains elusive for many teachers. This qualitative case study examined grade 4 teachers' understanding and use of formative assessment in mathematics at a South African private school. The aim was to develop a comprehensive understanding of how primary mathematics teachers conceptualize and implement formative assessment strategies.

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three grade 4 math teachers and observations of nine lessons focused on developing mental math skills, with three lessons per teacher. Thematic analysis revealed that while teachers demonstrated a strong conceptual grasp of formative assessment principles during interviews, their practices exhibited inconsistencies and missed opportunities for effectively integrating formative techniques.

The key findings indicated that while grade 4 mathematics teachers demonstrated a sound conceptual understanding of formative assessment principles, there were significant gaps in translating this knowledge into consistent, high-quality classroom practices. Teachers articulated the importance of using formative assessment to connect mathematics learning to practical applications and real-world contexts, as well as for monitoring students' progress and guiding their conceptual understanding. However, classroom observations revealed several shortcomings in implementing formative assessment aligned with this understanding.

A key issue was the inconsistent enactment of formative assessment practices, despite teachers' strong conceptual grasp. Their instruction frequently conflated formative and summative purposes, overemphasizing evaluating learning outputs rather than using assessment to shape teaching responsively. Observations showed an over-reliance on teacher judgments from passive monitoring rather than actively eliciting student articulations of reasoning and problem-solving approaches to uncover thinking processes. Moreover, while teachers understood the value of descriptive feedback, they missed crucial opportunities to provide specific, supportive feedback that could help advance students' mathematical comprehension by clarifying learning gaps and strengths.

These shortcomings stemmed partly from practical challenges like time constraints in analyzing assessment data, managing differentiation across diverse student abilities, and determining appropriate pedagogical responses based on assessment insights. However, the overarching issue highlighted is the struggle to consistently operationalize a robust conceptual understanding into formative assessment routines that prioritize unveiling and responsively scaffolding students' emerging mathematical proficiencies.

The study highlights the need for ongoing professional development, collaborative planning, pedagogical coaching, technology, and resources to bridge teachers' theoretical-practical gaps and support consistent, high-quality formative assessment implementation. Addressing these can foster a culture of continuous, responsive learning to enhance student engagement, conceptual understanding, and achievement in this critical area.

Keywords:

Formative assessment, Mathematics education, Teacher knowledge, Teacher practices, Classroom implementation.