About our Project

Raising Achievement through Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education (FaSMEd)

FaSMEd is a Science in Society Collaborative Project of the European Community.

This three year, €1.9M project led by Newcastle University will take lessons from around the world to help improve mathematics and science skills in Europe and South Africa.

Working with partners across eight countries, researchers will look at how technology can be used in formative assessment by teachers to help raise attainment levels among students.

In each country this involves researchers working with a cluster of schools with a focus on the use of formative assessment and technology to improve interactions in the classroom and reduce the anxiety about performance which frequently limits learners’ development in these subjects.

FaSMEd partners are:

  • University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK - Coordinator
  • The University of Nottingham, UK
  • Ecole Normale Superieure De Lyon, France
  • Maynooth University, Ireland
  • University Of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
  • University Of Turin, Italy
  • University Of Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • African Institute For Mathematical Sciences Schools Enrichment Centre , South Africa
  • The Norwegian University of Science and Technology 

This project aims to:

  • foster high quality interactions in classrooms that are instrumental in raising achievement;
  • expand our knowledge of technologically enhanced teaching and assessment methods in raising achievement in mathematics and science

Major objectives for the project are to:

  • produce a toolkit for teachers to support the development of practice.
  • produce a professional development resource that exemplifies use of the toolkit.
  • offer approaches for the use of new technologies to support formative assessment when trying to raise achievement.
  • develop sustainable assessment and feedback practices that improve attainment in mathematics and science.
  • challenge stereotyped attitudes and practices which raise anxiety on the part of teachers and students
  • disseminate the outcomes of the project in the form of online resources, academic and professional publications, conference presentations as well as policy briefs to government agencies at a regional, National, European and International level.