Understanding and use of online formative assessment data to create individualized learning plans

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' understanding of how to use online formative assessments to create individualized learning plans rather than group unit plans, how effectively that understanding was practiced, or what factors impacted teacher use of online formative assessment tools to create ILP's. Data on teachers' understandings was collected via training observation, completed ILP's, and teacher interviews. Six middle school teachers participated---three who taught language arts and three who taught math. The first six to volunteer were chosen. The analysis of the case studies revealed that the teachers have a consistent, strong understanding of how to use online formative assessment data to create ILP's, except when they are asked to create ILP's out of their subject area. With collaboration between colleagues as well as students, all of the teachers in these case studies effectively create the ILP's that their virtual school requires of them. Recommendations from this study included the need for further research to determine the impact of teachers creating ILP's for students in fields outside of the teachers area of expertise, the institution of further teacher training and professional development in the creation of ILP's, and the necessity for the same formative assessment to be given to student multiple times over the course of the year in order to track student progress.