A Comparative Study of Formative Assessment Practices in Public and Private Secondary Schools of District Gujrat, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study examined formative assessment practices among the secondary school teachers in public and private schools of District Gujrat. Using descriptive survey method, a structured Likert-scale questionnaire was prepared and used to collect data from 400 teachers (200 public and 200 private) using quantitative research design. The study looked at both implementation and perceived effectiveness of formative assessment practices-consisting of learning targets, ongoing assessment, and feedback for instructional adjustment. The findings indicated that teachers in both sectors are actively engaging in formative assessment with levels of implementation of it being slightly higher among public school teachers than private school teachers. However, the perceived effectiveness of the practices was high and comparable across the sectors. The conclusion of the study was that although the levels of implementation may differ, formative assessment is perceived by teachers as an effective tool and is widely accepted as a tool for enhancing student learning outcomes. Recommendations were formed based on the findings which were on the need to improve teacher training, to have formative assessment embedded systematically in curricula, to have resource support, and to have a monitoring system to improve assessment practices.