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Centre for Formative Assessment Studies (CFAS)

Centre for Formative Assessment Studies (CFAS)

The Centre for Formative Assessment Studies (CFAS) is located in the Faculty of Education of the University of Manchester and is directed by Bill Boyle. CFAS is one of the longest established research units in England in the areas of education and social science evaluations. The Centre was originally founded to develop research into formative assessment issues and this strand of its work continues, largely through consultancy to international ministries and school systems.  The Centre has been continuously involved since 1988 in a range of national and international research encompassing developments in teaching, learning and assessment, the monitoring of curriculum implementation and evaluations of organisations and programmes. The Centre has recently been the base for a number of major national and international projects including the QCA's Monitoring Curriculum and Assessment Project (MCA) and a World Bank project in Vietnam to evaluate and develop primary teacher quality.   

Latest

CFAS is currently developing in conjunction with 186 Media and the University of Manchester's UMIP a DVD series aimed to promote effective Assessment for Learning (AFL) strategies within key stage two.  The initial product, aimed at Key Stage One classrooms is now available. Workshops and conferences around the country are being planned through to July 2009.

Recent press coverage

The Centre has recently received considerable national press coverage (The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, TES, BBC) following the publication of two reports:

'What a waste of money'

"The team from the University's Centre for Formative Assessment Studies found that 13 of the 15 government initiatives that have been implemented since Labour came to power 10 years ago - at a cost of more than £2bn - have had no impact on literacy and numeracy standards."  (Guardian, 22 October, 2007)

'Curriculum without Foundation' (BERJ, Vol 32, No.4)

"Teaching for tests in maths and English deprives primary school children of a wide range of subjects, a study claims.  Data from 802 of England's primary schools over the past 10 years showed these core subjects were taught at the expense of science, art and humanities."  (news.bbc.co.uk, 6 November 2007)

AEA conference

Joanna Bragg (Senior Researcher, CFAS) presented 'What a Waste of Money' at the AEA (Assessment for Educational Quality) conference in Stockholm, Sweden, 8-10 November.

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