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Four-characteristic framework for valid formative assessment

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Description

The review presents validity as a matter of degree and identifies characteristics that underpin valid formative assessment. It states: "According to Gikandi et al. (2011), four characteristics underpin the validity of formative assessment: (1) authenticity of assessment activities, (2) effective formative feedback, (3) inclusion of multidimensional perspectives, and (4) robust learner support." It further argues that learning analytics strengthens the validity argument by "capturing, analyzing, and reporting rich, multimodal evidence of student learning progress," and cites Divjak et al. (2023) on using analytics to compare ideal learning-objective priorities, assessment weights, and achievement data.

Accounts

  • Four characteristics underpin the validity of formative assessment, which learning analytics can strengthen through rich multimodal evidence: The review presents validity as a matter of degree and identifies characteristics that underpin valid formative assessment. It states: "According to Gikandi et al. (2011), four characteristics underpin the validity of formative assessment: (1) authenticity of assessment activities, (2) effective formative feedback, (3) inclusion of multidimensional perspectives, and (4) robust learner support." It further argues that learning analytics strengthens the validity argument by "capturing, analyzing, and reporting rich, multimodal evidence of student learning progress," and cites Divjak et al. (2023) on using analytics to compare ideal learning-objective priorities, assessment weights, and achievement data. (Seyyed Kazem Banihashem et al. (2025))

Claims

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Key Sources

  • Seyyed Kazem Banihashem, Dragan Gašević, Omid Noroozi, Halszka Jarodzka, Desiree Joosten-ten Brinke, Hendrik Drachsler. (2025). Optimizing Formative Assessment with Learning Analytics. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543251370753
Page metadata
Field Value
type research-method
id four-characteristic-framework-for-valid-formative-assessment
title Four-characteristic framework for valid formative assessment
description The review presents validity as a matter of degree and identifies characteristics that underpin valid formative assessment.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-20
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