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Blogs on Formative Assessment

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Do You Check for Understanding Often Enough with Students?

Elena AguilarMarch 21, 2010

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Primary (K-2), Teacher Development

A few months ago, I wrote for Edutopia.org about the power of focusing on a few, high-priority standards as a strategy to improve student learning. Many other elements also need to be in play in a classroom in order to produce the results that we all want to see for our students.

Tactics for Tackling the Grading Dilemma

Rebecca AlberJanuary 5, 2010

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Student Engagement, Teacher Development, High (9-12)

Exhausted from a day of teaching, managing projects, and lunchtime detention, you head home, knowing a stack of ungraded student work awaits your arrival. You ask yourself, "What would happen if I didn't grade those papers?"

How to Focus Lessons and Learning Goals

Elena AguilarNovember 9, 2009

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Teacher Development, All Grades, English Language Arts, California

In the coming weeks, I'll share tips guaranteed to increase student achievement. This guarantee is based on my own teaching and experience as an instructional coach, as well as on research compiled by education experts.

Instant Feedback: Principles of, and Techniques for, Formative Assessment

Ben JohnsonApril 2, 2008

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Teacher Development, All Grades

The bowling analogy in my previous post is an illustration of the misunderstanding about the true purpose of formative assessments. Assessment provides needed information for the teacher to adjust instructional activities, but that is a by-product of the real reason for doing it. True formative assessment engages students and puts them in charge of their own learning, much as a bowler is in charge of how she bowls.

Bowling with Your Eyes Closed: Students Need True Formative Assessment

Ben JohnsonApril 1, 2008

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Teacher Development, All Grades

I've been bowling recently, as perhaps have some of you. There are some unusual things about bowling you can directly apply to improving classroom learning, so let's go bowling for a minute.

Structure in Project-Based Learning: The Freedom to Learn Requires Planning

Bob LenzNovember 28, 2007

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Curriculum, Formative Assessment, Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development, Team Teaching, All Grades, California

When a colleague at another urban high school commented to me that because his students needed more structure, he no longer employs project-based learning, I replied that his decision presumes that PBL is unstructured.

Building Blocks for Technology Integration: A Strategy for Success

Chris O'NealAugust 10, 2007

Tags Formative Assessment, Technology Integration, All Grades

This is a guest posting from my friend and colleague, David Carpenter, who is working abroad as an instructional technologist in Asia. Read his other posts, "An Instructional Technologist Muses on Lessons Learned: The Peaks and Pitfalls of Discovery Learning" and "Travel Tip: It Is a Terrific Time to Teach Abroad."

A Pencil Is a Word Processor: Making the Case for Cell Phones in Class

Ron SmithMay 16, 2006

Tags Formative Assessment, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8)

Suppose I were to offer you a fantastic word processor, small, portable, battery free, readily available, capable of operating in any language, and easily used by people from ages one to one hundred. There is such a word processor. It is called a pencil.