Formative vs Informal Assessment: What Are The Differences And How To Make Them Work for You

A research review by the U.S. Department of Education reveals that students who participated in formative assessments performed better on academic achievement measures than those who did not. But the line between structured formative assessment and more spontaneous classroom interactions isn’t always so clear. 

Take, for example, a teacher leading a Grade 6 maths class. Midway through a fraction lesson, she notices a few faces looking confused. Rather than moving on, she quickly poses a question using an interactive poll. The results confirm what she suspected: a significant number of students are struggling. 

So, she adjusts her lesson plan, spends five more minutes reteaching, and follows up later with a short reflective activity. Now, was that formative assessment? Informal assessment? In reality, it was a bit of both educational assessments, and that’s exactly what makes the distinction worth exploring.

In this article, we will discuss formative vs informal assessment, showing you how both classroom assessments serve different yet complementary roles in responsive teaching. 

You will also understand better how:

• Informal practices like questioning and observation can feed into more structured formative strategies.
• Wooclap makes it easy to capture both formative and informal assessments in real time or asynchronously. 

Ultimately, effective teaching is about staying attuned student engagement and learning. 

So, What Is Formative Assessment?

Formative assessment is a purposeful and ongoing learning process used to capture student progress, an evidence of student learning during instruction. It’s a planned strategy that gives teachers and students insight into student progress and what must happen next. 

Every formative assessment is tied to bridge learning gaps, and in practice, it can take many forms, including:

• A teacher using an exit ticket at the end of the class, asking students to summarize what they learned or write one question they still have. 
• Running a quick multiple-choice poll mid-lesson to check if students understand a key concept before proceeding. 
• Simple student engagement, where learners write about their understanding or rate their confidence. 

These activities aren't just for show; they provide real-time feedback for instructors and learners to shape what happens next. And with digital tools like Wooclap, teachers can embed these assessments into lessons using features like word clouds, interactive quizzes, and even open-ended prompts. 

Since there’s immediate feedback, instructors can pivot on the spot, reteach a concept, and move forward confidently. Thankfully, Wooclap works in both synchronous and asynchronous settings, offering instructors the flexibility to check in with individual students at any time. 

What Is Informal Assessment?

Informal assessment could be described as the unscripted moments during a learning period. It gives educators insights without putting students on the spot. 

There is no formal evaluation, no pressure to perform; just an opportunity to demonstrate the current level of student understanding in their learning journey. This can include practices like:

• interpreting a student’s body language during a discussion.
• Inviting individual students to reflect during a class discussion 
• interpreting how confidently a group tackles a collaborative task. 

Since these practices don’t follow a script, they create a safe space for honest responses, allowing educators to respond with agility. 

Educators can use Wooclap’s brainstorming tool or the open question feature to invite students to share their thoughts anonymously. This is perfect for surfacing misunderstandings that might not come up in a traditional Q&A. Anonymous word clouds or even emoji reactions can also surface ideas students may not voice aloud.

Key Differences Between Both Assessments

Formative assessment isn’t one-size-fits-all. It includes a wide range of methods, some carefully structured and pre-planned, others spontaneous and conversational. 

To better understand this, let’s explore how different formative assessment types vary across four dimensions: planning, tools, feedback, and documentation. Then we’ll take a closer look at how informal assessments fit into this picture:

1. Planning and Structure

Some formative assessments are typically intentional and structured. You can think of practices like exit tickets, quick quiz, peer assessment, or concept mapping exercises. Others, like open-ended group discussions or mid-lesson reflections, may have loose guidelines but still serve a clear formative purpose. Across the board, planning and structure can vary depending on the teacher’s goals, timing, and context.

Informal assessments tend to sit on the unstructured, unplanned end of this spectrum. They occur in real-time, often based on the teacher’s instinct or the classroom dynamic at any given moment. A confused look from a student might prompt an informal check. So, informal assessments are based on ongoing feedback and observations. 

2. Tools and Methods

Structured formative assessments often use formal tools and established methods. Instructors may also use Wooclap, which offers features such as live multiple-choice quizzes and polls, and open-ended response tools to facilitate structured assessments during or after a lesson. 

In contrast, informal assessments lean heavily on classroom interaction and teacher observation. The “tool” could be a casual question like “Can someone explain this in their own words?” or an offhand comment. Still, digital tools can play a role here. On Wooclap, features like live emoji reactions or anonymous brainstorming tools can encourage spontaneous input. 

3. Feedback Usage

More often than not, structured formative assessments create space for detailed and real-time feedback. This could be written or verbal. Teachers can then review student performance and use the results to refine future instruction. This might mean revisiting a misunderstood concept or modifying upcoming activities. 

Informal feedback, by comparison, is immediate and usually verbal. It might be a quick clarification or a rephrased question. Just know that there is no lag between input and response. What matters is the instant instructional adjustment. 

4. Data Collection and Documentation

Formative assessments vary widely in how much data they produce. Some like interactive web quizzes generate artifacts instructors can analyze, track, or share with students and families. Even student feedback or group work can be documented with digital tools. 

Informal assessments, however, usually leave no written trace or formal evaluation. The teacher may mentally note which students seem to grasp a concept, but there’s no score, record, or form. 

Where Informal Assessment Fits Within Formative Assessment

By now, you understand that formative assessment is a flexible and responsive process. But within it, informal strategies play an important role. In fact, many moments of informal assessment strategies become formative when they’re used intentionally during the learning period. We will give an example below. 

Across the formative spectrum, teachers constantly move between planned assessment strategies and spontaneous moves. We could say the distinction lies in format, and purpose: whether the information gathered becomes a teaching decision that moves learning forward.

Informal assessments are often the spark that initiates that change. They may start as quick, unscripted observations. But when those moments prompt an instructional adjustment, they function as formative feedback loops in action.

For example, a teacher might notice several students hesitating during a partner activity. On instinct, she launches a real-time poll using Wooclap to clarify student understanding. The instant feedback confirms a misconception, she reteaches the concept. So, what started as an informal observation is now part of a formative process. 

From this example, it’s clear that informal strategies don’t sit outside formative assessment. When acted on with intention, they become part of the same continuum.

When to Use Each Assessment

Knowing when to use formative vs informal assessments does not mean choosing one over the other. It’s simply understanding both and using them throughout the learning process. 

The former are best used when you need structured insight tied to specific learning objectives. For example, before introducing a new unit, a teacher might run a diagnostic quiz on Wooclap to identify prior knowledge gaps. After a mini-lesson, another set of quick multiple-choice questions can help gauge how well students are absorbing the material. 

Informal assessments are ideal for moment-to-moment classroom awareness. During a lively discussion, a teacher might look out for body language or listen in on peer conversations. These moments reveal immediate understanding or confusion, which might not reflect in a quiz. 

Ultimately, the real deal comes from combining both. Take the earlier example: a teacher sees puzzled faces during a group task. Instead of continuing, she launches a Wooclap poll. Structured formative checks give teachers a high-level roadmap, while informal assessments offer in-the-moment nuance. Together, they create a more complete picture of student learning. They also help teachers respond with precision and empathy. 

Making Both Assessments Work for You

At first glance, formative and informal assessments may seem like separate strategies. But put them into practice, and you’d see they work best side by side. At the end of the day, both help instructors stay responsive to their students’ needs. 

And with platforms like Wooclap, integrating both approaches becomes even more seamless. For your next lesson plan, consider incorporating both assessments to meet students where they are and guide them toward where they need to go. 

Want to see how it works in practice? Learn more about Wooclap and explore how it can help you create more interactive, insight-driven lessons. 

You can create a quick survey with these prompts and allow small groups to submit responses anonymously. It’s also a great way to collect data on soft skills like communication, responsibility, and teamwork. 

3. Exit Ticket Templates

Sometimes you end a lesson and ask if you know what stuck with the students. Exit tickets can help you figure that out. Here are common exit ticket templates:

3-2-1 Reflection

This one is a classic, and for a good reason. It helps students organize their thoughts while revealing how they are processing what they learned. You simply ask them to share:

• 3 things they learned
• 2 interesting ideas or connections
• 1 question they still have

It’s structured easily and works across any subject. On Wooclap, you can set this up as a web quiz or survey with three response fields. You can even take it a step further by turning the “1 question” responses into a word cloud. That way, you can instantly see what’s confusing your class as a whole. If 10 students are asking about the same concept? That’s your sign to reteach or reinforce it in the next class. 

Muddiest Point

Sometimes the most helpful thing to ask is also the simplest: “What part of today’s lesson was the most confusing?” This template gives students a safe space to admit where they’re struggling.

Wooclap’s open-ended question is a perfect starting point. To make it more useful for instruction, you could create it as this:

• Q1: What part of the lesson did you find confusing?
• Q2: Why do you think it was confusing or unclear? 
• Q3: What would help make this more straightforward?

You can also combine it with a live poll, like “How confident do you feel about today’s topic on a scale of 1-5?” We previously provided an approach for this. 

One-Minute Summary

Want to know if your students truly understand? Ask them to explain the whole lesson in just one sentence. It’s harder than it sounds, and that’s the point. On Wooclap, you can try using word clouds to get a quick snapshot of key phrases they are pulling from the lesson. 

4. Quick Checks and Immediate Feedback

Educators may decide they want to know right now. Did the students get it? Or is the teacher about to leave half the class behind? Quick checks are a way to assess understanding while student learning is still in progress. 

What makes quick checks powerful is their instant nature. You are catching the misconceptions now. Some templates to use include: 

Live Multiple Choice Checks

Right after introducing a new concept, toss out 3 to 4 option questions like, “Which of these best explains photosynthesis?” or “Which step comes next in solving this equation?” Wooclap’s live poll and multiple-choice questions are made for moments like this.

You will see results come in immediately. Did 80% get it right? Great, keep moving. Did half the class miss it? That’s a sign to pause and clarify. Moreover, since the results are visual, students can reflect alongside you. 

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down (Digitally)

This old-school strategy remains effective, especially when applied digitally. Physically, students might raise their thumbs if they are good, hold them sideways if they are unsure, or lower them if they are lost. But not everyone feels confident raising their hand that way. 

Wooclap’s rating poll can recreate this strategy, but anonymously and with better insight. Ask, “Do you think you’re confident about what we just learned?” and let students rate themselves from 1-3. 

Flash Review with a Word Cloud

If you want a quick summary of key ideas students picked up during a mini-lesson? Ask them to type in one word or phrase that stood out to them. Then use word cloud to display all responses in real time. 

If the word cloud fills up with accurate, on-topic terms, you know they are following. If you see off-topic or vague words, you know you must revisit the main idea. 

Why Strategy-Aligned Templates Make All the Difference

Let’s take a step back. Why did we organize all these formative assessment templates by instructional strategy, rather than just listing them all together? Because strategy brings clarity and purpose. 

When you match these templates to a clear pedagogical goal, it becomes easier to pick the right formative assessment tools for the job. Moreover, these templates save you time. You’re not reinventing the wheel every lesson. You have go-to formats that work across subjects and support differentiated instruction. 

With platforms like Wooclap, you get insights. You will see more than just who has their hand up; you’ll see how the whole class is thinking. 

Want to learn about other formative assessment examples? We wrote a whole cluster of articles to help you understand everything you need to know about the formative assessment process.

So here’s the final encouragement. Join other educators today to experiment, start small, select a strategy that aligns with your lesson goal, and try one of these templates.