Designing a Teacher Training Curriculum for Formative Assessment Practices in Secondary Schools in Kwara State

Formative assessment is widely recognised as the most powerful within-class lever for improving student learning, yet its systematic practice among secondary school teachers in Kwara State is severely limited, and a professionally designed teacher training curriculum addresses this instructional quality gap. This study designed a teacher training curriculum for formative assessment practices in public secondary schools in Ilorin East, Ilorin West, and Irepodun LGAs, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. A professional curriculum design methodology was applied, drawing on a baseline assessment of formative practices among 100 teachers through classroom observation (n=40 lessons) and questionnaire survey, structured consultations with 10 assessment specialists and 8 teacher trainers, and review of Dylan Wiliam's formative assessment framework and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment formative practice standards. Baseline observation showed that eliciting evidence of learning was practised meaningfully in only 14.3 percent of observed lessons, peer feedback occurred in 7.1 percent, and learning intention sharing was clear in 28.6 percent. The curriculum designed covers seven modules: formative assessment foundations, learning intentions and success criteria, questioning techniques, written and oral feedback, peer and self-assessment, learning analytics for teachers, and embedding formative practice into subject-specific routines. Assessment of competency development and classroom application are specified. Expert review by eight assessment and teacher training specialists confirmed the curriculum's coherence. The study recommends delivery through Kwara State Teachers Institute in partnership with the Schools Management Board.

Keywords: formative assessment, teacher training curriculum, secondary school, Kwara State, assessment practice