College of St.

John-Roxas BSED Program-English

Chapter 1: Creating a Formative Assessment System

Key Points

• 1. Good teaching needs more than passion and technology.

Without a system that checks if students understand the lesson and gives
them helpful feedback, real learning won't happen.

• 2. Formative assessment has 3 parts: feed-up, feedback, and feed-

forward.
These help students know what they're learning (feed-up), how they're doing
(feedback), and what to do next (feed-forward).

• 3. The “Gradual Release of Responsibility” model helps students become

independent learners.
It includes these steps:
→ Setting purpose
→ Teacher showing how to do it
→ Students practicing with help
→ Group work
→ Independent work

• 4. Mistakes are part of learning.

Teachers adjust lessons as they go to help students improve. This makes
learning feel more like a journey, not a test.

• 5. Teachers are not just teaching—they’re guiding.

Formative assessment helps them plan lessons, support every student, and
make learning meaningful and clear.

A system in formative assessment is essential because it serves as a tool for

ongoing feedback and adjustment during the learning process. Without a system
in place, formative assessments might lack consistency, focus, and effectiveness in
guiding both teaching and learning.

What is GRR (Gradual Release of Responsibility)?

The Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) is a teaching model that helps

students slowly take ownership of their own learning. Instead of a teacher just
giving a lecture and saying “now do it,” GRR follows a step-by-step process:

“I do it.” → “We do it.” → “You do it together.” → “You do it alone.”

The Four Stages of GRR

College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

1. I Do (Teacher Modeling)

• What happens? The teacher explains and shows how to do something.

• Example: In an English class, the teacher writes a sample paragraph

while explaining how to structure a strong topic sentence and supporting
details.

• Why it's important: Students first need to see what "good work" looks like
before trying.

2. We Do (Guided Practice)

• What happens? The teacher and class do the task together. The teacher
asks questions and gives prompts.

• Example: The class helps brainstorm ideas and the teacher writes the
paragraph with their help, correcting and guiding along the way.

• Why it's important: It gives students a safe space to try with support.

3. You Do It Together (Collaborative Work)

• What happens? Students work in pairs or small groups to try it

themselves, using what they’ve learned.

• Example: In groups, students write their own paragraph about a new

topic, helping each other with structure and content.

• Why it's important: Students learn from each other and practice applying
skills with less teacher help.

4. You Do It Alone (Independent Practice)

• What happens? Each student works on the task independently, showing

what they know.

• Example: Students write a full paragraph or essay on their own topic and
submit it for grading.

• Why it's important: This shows if students have truly mastered the skill or
concept.
College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

Why is it called "Gradual" Release?

It's called gradual because the teacher slowly steps back, giving students more
control and responsibility as they become more confident and capable. Just like
training wheels on a bike—you don’t remove them right away. You let go bit by bit as
the learner improves.

Is there such a thing as "Instantaneous Release"?

Not in effective teaching. Instantaneous release would mean giving the students a
task with no support or preparation—which often leads to confusion, mistakes, or
frustration. GRR avoids that by:

• Giving examples first

• Helping during practice

• Letting students try in groups

• Then finally letting them work independently

So no, good teachers don’t just “throw students into the deep end.” They guide them
into the water step by step.

The Four Stages of Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) are meant to be

implemented in a specific sequence, but they are not typically done all at once or at
the same time. They follow a progression from teacher-led to student-led activities,
which builds student confidence and competence.

Here’s how it works:

1. I Do (Teacher Modeling) – This is the starting point. The teacher takes the
lead to demonstrate how to complete a task. It’s essential to begin here
because students need to understand what they are expected to do before
trying it themselves. Starting with this stage ensures students have a solid
foundation of knowledge and skills.

2. We Do (Guided Practice) – After the teacher models the task, the next stage
is collaborative. The teacher and students work together to practice the task.
This stage follows naturally because the teacher can guide the class and
correct any misunderstandings as they occur. It’s important to build on the “I
Do” stage before moving into “We Do.”

3. You Do It Together (Collaborative Work) – Once students are comfortable

with the task under the teacher’s guidance, they can move into working with
peers. This stage allows them to apply what they have learned with less direct
guidance but still within a supportive group environment. This stage comes
College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

after “We Do” because students need some independent practice before they
can handle the full responsibility on their own.

4. You Do It Alone (Independent Practice) – The final stage is where students

demonstrate their individual understanding and competence. It’s the
culminating stage, where students work independently to apply the learned
skills. They should only reach this point after going through the previous
stages.

In summary, the stages are typically done in order (I Do → We Do → You Do It Together

→ You Do It Alone), but there can be flexibility depending on the situation. You
wouldn’t start with independent practice without first modeling or guiding the
students through the task. However, in certain scenarios, a teacher might decide to
revisit a stage if they feel more practice or explanation is needed before moving
forward.

This progression is key to helping students gradually take on more responsibility and
become independent learners.

Summary

Think of GRR like this:

Your teacher is training you to think and work like a pro. First, they show you how.
Then you try it with help. Then you try it with your classmates. Finally, you do it on
your own—and you rock it.

he Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) framework is flexible, and while it

provides a general structure, it can be adapted to meet the needs of different
learners.

Here’s how you can navigate the stages with diverse learners:

1. Differentiating the Stages

• Advanced Learners: If some students demonstrate independence early on,

you might allow them to skip the "We Do" and "You Do It Together" stages and
move straight into independent practice, especially after modeling ("I Do").

• Struggling Learners: For students who need more support, you may need to
spend more time in the "We Do" or even go back to more modeling to ensure
they fully grasp the concept.

2. Flexible Grouping

• You can use differentiated grouping for the "We Do" and "You Do It Together"
stages. Advanced learners can work in smaller, more challenging groups or
College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

pairs, while learners who need more guidance can work with the teacher or
with peers who need additional support.

• This allows students to receive the level of assistance they need while still
engaging in collaborative work, encouraging peer learning.

3. Ongoing Assessment

• As you move through the stages, ongoing formative assessments will help
you gauge whether a student is ready to move on. For example, if you notice
that some students are confident during the "We Do" stage, they can be
moved to independent practice earlier. Alternatively, if they struggle, you can
revisit the previous stages.

• Exit tickets, quick reflections, or peer feedback during collaborative activities

can provide valuable insights into who is ready to transition to independent
work.

4. Self-Directed Learning

• For learners who show high levels of independence, you might incorporate
self-paced learning or student choice in later stages, where they can
choose from different tasks, projects, or topics to demonstrate their
understanding.

5. Personalized Scaffolding

• While you may model and guide students through tasks, for those ready for
independence, scaffolding can become more personalized. Instead of
providing extensive prompts, you could offer just-in-time support (e.g., a
quick reminder or a challenge question) to encourage deeper thinking or
higher-level skills.

Conclusion:

The key is to be responsive to your students' readiness levels. Some may need more
time in the "I Do" or "We Do" stages, while others might be ready to move on quicker.
The goal is to help each student progress at their own pace within the structure of
GRR, providing enough support when necessary but also allowing for autonomy
when appropriate.

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Implication for Future Teaching:

College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

Future teaching should move away from just delivering lessons and giving grades at
the end. Instead, it must focus on creating a formative assessment system that
actively supports student learning every step of the way.

This means:

• Planning lessons with clear goals (students should always know what
they’re learning and why it matters).

• Checking understanding regularly (not just through quizzes but by listening

to student responses, observing group work, and asking meaningful
questions).

• Giving timely and specific feedback (not just saying “good job” or “wrong”
but explaining what was done well and how to improve).

• Using what students say and do to adjust your teaching (if many students
are confused, change your strategy or reteach part of the lesson).

• Helping students become independent thinkers by gradually letting them

take charge of their own learning (following the Gradual Release of
Responsibility model).

In short, future teachers must not only be content experts but also learning
guides—they should observe, respond, and plan with flexibility. Teaching will
become more about building a learning process rather than just delivering
information. Mistakes will be seen as part of learning, and classrooms will feel more
supportive and purposeful.

In the context of formative assessment, prompts and cues are tools that teachers
use during guided instruction to help students think deeper, correct
misunderstandings, or move forward without directly giving them the answer.

Prompts and Cues Explained:

Prompts

Prompts are questions or statements that encourage students to explain or think

further.
They guide students to recall prior knowledge or consider another strategy.

Examples:

• “Can you explain your answer?”

• “What do you think will happen if…?”

College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

• “How did you arrive at that solution?”

• “Is there another way to solve this problem?”

• “What’s the next step you would take?”

Cues

Cues are hints or signals that help students notice something important or
reconsider a mistake.
They’re often more direct than prompts.

Examples:

• Pointing to part of a diagram and asking, “What do you notice here?”

• “Think about the rule we learned yesterday.”

• “Check the units—do they match?”

• “Listen again to how that word is pronounced.”

• “Look at the example on the board—what’s different from your answer?”

Why Use Prompts and Cues?

• They help students self-correct without giving away answers.

• They make thinking visible so the teacher knows what to adjust.

• They build confidence as students realize they can figure things out with a
little guidance.

How Prompts and Cues Are Used in the Classroom

1. In an English class (Reading comprehension)

• Prompt: “Why do you think the character chose to do that?”

• Cue: Teacher underlines a phrase and says, “Look at this sentence again.
What does it suggest about his feelings?”

• Why it matters: Helps students think critically about the text and interpret
meaning instead of just guessing.

2. In a Math class (Problem solving)

• Prompt: “What’s the first step you should take to solve this?”
College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

• Cue: Teacher points to a formula chart and says, “Is there a formula here that
fits this kind of problem?”

• Why it matters: Supports problem-solving skills without giving away the

answer; encourages independent thinking.

3. In a Science class (Experiment and observation)

• Prompt: “What do you predict will happen if we change this variable?”

• Cue: Teacher says, “Remember what happened in the last experiment—how

is this similar or different?”

• Why it matters: Promotes inquiry and helps students make connections

between experiments and concepts.

4. In a Group Work Activity

• Prompt: “What role are you playing in the group? Are you helping the team
stay on track?”

• Cue: Teacher gestures to the instruction board and says, “Make sure you’re
following step 2 before moving to step 3.”

• Why it matters: Keeps collaboration purposeful and focused on the learning

process.

5. During Writing (Essay or paragraph)

• Prompt: “How can you support your opinion with examples?”

• Cue: Teacher points to the rubric and says, “Check if you’ve added transitions
between your paragraphs.”

• Why it matters: Encourages self-editing and thoughtful writing that meets

expectations.

Why Prompts and Cues Are Important

• They guide thinking – without giving the answers, they help students
explore and process their learning.

• They develop metacognition – students start to think about how they

think, which builds independence.
College of St. John-Roxas BSED Program-English

• They close learning gaps – instead of waiting for tests, teachers can fix
misunderstandings in real time.

• They support different learners – especially helpful for students who are
shy, unsure, or easily distracted.

• They make feedback meaningful – students learn how to adjust, revise,

and try again.

Essential Questions to Check Understanding

• Q1: What are the three parts of a formative assessment system?

A1: Feed-up (what to learn), Feedback (how you're doing), and Feed-forward
(what to do next).

• Q2: Why isn’t feedback alone enough for students to improve?

A2: Because students also need to know their learning goals and how to
move forward, not just what they did wrong or right.

• Q3: What is the purpose of the “Gradual Release of Responsibility”

model?
A3: To help students slowly take charge of their own learning—from watching
the teacher, to practicing together, to working on their own confidently.

Q4: If your group didn’t understand the lesson during group work, what would
you expect your teacher to do as part of a good formative assessment system?
A4: The teacher should give guided support—like asking questions, giving hints, or
showing examples—to help the group understand better before moving on to
independent work.

Q5: Imagine you are teaching a class. How would you use the feed-up,
feedback, and feed-forward approach to help your students write a better
essay?
A5:

• Feed-up: I would start by clearly explaining what a good essay looks like and
what the goals are.

• Feedback: While they’re writing, I would give comments on their drafts—

what’s strong, what needs improvement.

• Feed-forward: I would suggest what they can do next to revise and improve
their essays before the final submission.