Assessment

Look beyond high-stakes testing to learn about different ways of assessing the full range of student ability -- social, emotional, and academic achievement.

Literacy
Reframing How We Assess Student Writing
The work of assessing writing assignments can be shared with students, creating a critical learning opportunity for them.
Assessment
Developing Confidence Through Delayed Grading
Giving students time to explore ideas with no immediate grade pressure helps motivate them to be creative and take intellectual risks.
Teaching Strategies
Ramping Up Student Performance
Techniques for introducing new material and feedback to students throughout a lesson—a way to spark deeper insights and learning.
Formative Assessment
60-Second Strategy: TAG Feedback
This quick exercise scaffolds peer critique for elementary students.
Assessment
60-Second Strategy: Interview Assessments
A face-to-face chat provides an alternative for students who struggle to show what they know on tests.
Assessment
Do No-Zero Policies Help or Hurt Students?
No-zero policies spur serious—and productive—debate among teachers. We look at the big insights on both sides of the argument.
Assessment
Using Art in Assessments
An assessment called a one-pager has students use art to show what they know—and it can be used across the curriculum.
Assessment
Will Letter Grades Survive?
A century-old pillar of the school system is under fire as schools look to modernize student assessment.
Teaching Strategies
Making Failure Harder Work Than Passing
A rigorous intervention pushes students who might be satisfied with a D to aim higher.
Assessment
3 Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching
Gather and use valuable student data to inform your classroom practice.
Assessment
7 Strategies to Make Grading Easier
Grading is time-consuming but necessary, so we have some techniques for making it more effective and efficient.
Back to School
Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding
Through alternative formative assessment, teachers can check for student understanding without falling back on the tedious or intimidating pop quiz.
The Research Is In
5 Tips for Designing Multiple-Choice Quizzes
A researcher explains how to align your test design with the latest brain science.
Rubrics
6 Reasons to Try a Single-Point Rubric
A format that provides students with personalized feedback and works to keep them from focusing solely on their grade.
Assessment
Competency-Based Learning: Developing Mastery of Skills and Content
At Pittsfield Middle High School, students choose how they will show what they have learned.