Why Formative Assessment Remains a Challenge in  Bangladesh’s Primary Classroom

Published on: August 12, 2026

In a primary classroom, assessment does not begin when an examination paper is placed on a student’s desk. It begins much earlier—with a teacher’s question, a child’s response, a piece of classwork, a group discussion, a raised hand, a confused expression, or even a moment of silence. Every day, teachers gather countless small pieces of evidence about what their students know, understand and struggle with. This is at the heart of formative assessment.

Formative assessment is no longer an unfamiliar idea for many primary teachers. Many teachers understand that assessment should be an ongoing part of teaching and learning rather than something that happens only at the end of a lesson, term or academic year. They recognize that it can help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, monitor learning progress, provide feedback and guide teachers in adjusting their teaching approaches according to students’ needs. In everyday classrooms, teachers are already practicing many forms of formative assessment. They ask questions before introducing a new topic to find out what students already know. They ask questions during lessons to check understanding. They look at students’ written work, observe their participation in group activities, ask them to work on the board, give short quizzes and assign homework or classwork. These may appear to be simple classroom activities, but when teachers use the information from them to understand learning and improve their teaching, they become valuable formative assessment practices.

A teacher asking, “What do you know about this topic?” is not simply starting a lesson. The answers can tell the teacher whether students have prior knowledge, misconceptions or gaps that need attention. Similarly, when a teacher walks around the classroom during group work and notices that several students are struggling with the same concept, that observation can become an important source of information about learning. The real strength of formative assessment, however, lies not simply in asking questions or checking work. It lies in what happens after the information is gathered. If a teacher discovers that students have misunderstood a concept, can the lesson be adjusted? Can the teacher explain it differently? Can students receive individual feedback? Can those who need additional support get another opportunity to practice? This is where the difference between simply conducting assessment and genuinely using assessment for learning becomes important. And this is where many teachers face difficulties.

One of the most significant constraints is limited instructional time. Primary lessons operate within fixed periods, and teachers are expected to cover the prescribed syllabus within a particular academic timeframe. Within that limited time, they must introduce new concepts, explain content, engage students in activities, manage classroom behavior, check understanding and respond to individual learning needs. Formative assessment requires more than simply asking a question or checking an exercise; it requires teachers to notice students’ responses, interpret what those responses reveal about learning and then decide how to respond. When the clock is moving and the next lesson is approaching, giving every student sufficient attention becomes difficult. The challenge, therefore, is not simply a lack of time, but the pressure of fitting meaningful assessment, feedback and instructional adjustment into already constrained teaching periods.

The size and diversity of the classroom can make this challenge even greater. A single class may contain students who learn at different speeds, have different levels of prior knowledge and require different kinds of support. A teacher may recognize that one student has understood a concept while another is still struggling and a third is ready for greater challenge. Responding to these differences through individual feedback within a limited period is demanding. The larger the class, the harder it becomes to ensure that formative assessment reaches every learner rather than only the students who are most vocal or visible.

Another difficulty is the pressure to complete the prescribed syllabus within a fixed academic timeframe. Teachers may find themselves balancing two important responsibilities: covering the required content and giving students sufficient opportunities to explore, practice and consolidate their learning. Formative assessment may reveal that students need another explanation, additional practice or a different learning activity, but teachers may feel pressure to continue because the next topic is already scheduled. In such circumstances, assessment can identify a learning gap without always leaving enough room to address it.

The dominance of examination-oriented assessment presents another challenge. When academic achievement is strongly associated with examination results, teachers, students and parents may naturally give greater attention to tests, marks and preparation for formal assessments. This can make it difficult to give equal importance to the quieter processes of learning- feedback, reflection, revision, questioning and improvement—that lie at the heart of formative assessment. The issue is not that summative assessment has no value; rather, the concern is when it becomes so dominant that formative assessment receives less attention.

There is also a challenge in moving from knowing formative assessment techniques to using them purposefully. Teachers may know a range of strategiessuch as oral questioning, written tasks, group work, quizzes, board work and classroom observation, but the effectiveness of these strategies depends on how the information is used. Asking a question is not automatically formative assessment. It becomes formative when the teacher listens carefully to the response, identifies what it reveals about learning and uses that information to decide what to do next.

These challenges should not be seen as a lack of teachers’ commitment. Many teachers already understand and practise formative assessment, but making it more meaningful requires supportive conditions alongside professional commitment. Rather than asking teachers to do more within already demanding schedules, schools can help them make better use of the assessment they already conduct through continuous professional development, collaborative learning and the sharing of practical classroom strategies. Professional development should go beyond occasional workshops and create opportunities for teachers to reflect, learn from one another and refine their practices. With supportive leadership and a strong culture of professional learning, formative assessment can become a natural part of everyday teaching rather than an additional burden.

The goal is not to ask teachers to assess more, but to empower them to assess more meaningfully. When assessment becomes a natural part of teaching, it can move beyond measuring learning to actively shaping it.

Khondokar Sabera Hamid holds an M.Ed. from the University of Dhaka, along with postgraduate degrees in Economics and Development Studies. She is an Assistant Teacher at South Point School and College, Dhaka.