Prior reviews of evidence for the impact of formative assessment on student achievement suggest widely different estimates of formative assessment's effectiveness, ranging from 0.40 and 0.70 standard deviations in one review. The purpose of this study is to describe variability in the effectiveness of formative assessment for promoting student achievement by refining, updating and applying Black and Wiliam's (1998a) original typology of formative assessment interventions and including only those studies that meet rigorous evidence standards for supporting causal inferences. The systematic evidence review focuses on the effectiveness of formative assessment for improving the academic achievement of students in grades 1-6, including both regular education students and students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, and/or intellectual disabilities. Although findings from the study are currently under review, the process of preparing for and responding to reviews of the report posed several challenges and opportunities to consider possible solutions regarding communicating the value of a more precise estimate of formative assessment's effectiveness to practitioners and policy-makers. In conclusion, the formative assessment evidence review provides an opportunity to examine evidence that ordinarily is interpreted as strongly supporting the view that formative assessment is effective for improving student achievement. By extending conceptual frameworks for categorizing types of formative assessments presented in prior reviews and adopting rigorous standards to assess whether studies support causal inferences, this evidence review allows practitioners and researchers to examine relationships between effectiveness and both malleable and non-malleable factors. Figures are appended. [SREE documents are structured abstracts of SREE conference symposium, panel, and paper or poster submissions.].

Written for pre-service teacher candidates who have little or no classroom experience, Rick Stiggins' multiple award-winning and market-leading text focuses squarely on preparing new teachers to assess students in classrooms, providing them with their initial orientation to classroom assessment and to the challenges they will face in monitoring student learning, in using the assessment process, and its results to benefit their students. The text clearly instructs teaching candidates on how to gather dependable evidence of student learning using quality assessments and how to use those assessments to support and to certify student learning. The book has an exceptionally strong focus on integrating assessment with instruction through student involvement in the assessment process; it is clearly the most non-technical and hands on practical orientation to assessment validity and reliability yet developed. It offers five easy-to-understand keys to effective classroom assessment practice that any teacher can learn to apply. The presentation covers the full range of classroom assessment methods, when and how to use them and how to communicate results in ways that support learning. Examples and models are offered across grade levels and schools subjects to assist candidates in learning these things. The treatment of student-involved assessment, record keeping, and communication as an instructional intervention is a unique entity of the text. Specific assessment strategies are offered throughout for helping students see the learning target from the beginning and then watch themselves move progressively close over time until they achieve ultimate learning success. Showing how to use assessment to accurately reflect student achievement and how to benefit-not merely grade-student learning, the text examines the full spectrum of assessment topics, from articulating targets, through developing quality assessments and communicating results effectively.

This essential guide helps teachers refine their approach to fundamental challenges in the classroom. Based on research from cognitive science and formative assessment, it ensures teachers can offer all students the support and challenge they need – and can do so sustainably. Written by an experienced teacher and teacher educator, the book balances evidence-informed principles and practical suggestions. It contains: A detailed exploration of six core problems that all teachers face in planning lessons, assessing learning and responding to students Effective practical strategies to address each of these problems across a range of subjects Useful examples of each strategy in practice and accounts from teachers already using these approaches Checklists to apply each principle successfully and advice tailored to teachers with specific responsibilities. This innovative book is a valuable resource for new and experienced teachers alike who wish to become more responsive teachers. It offers the evidence, practical strategies and supportive advice needed to make sustainable, worthwhile changes.

The Second Edition of Skills-Based Health Education provides pre-service and practicing teachers with the pedagogical foundation and tools to develop a comprehensive PreK-12 health education program using the National Health Education Standards. It takes each standard by grade span, provides scenarios based on research to explain the skill, and then provides a step-by-step approach to planning assessment and instruction. Early chapters connect skills-based health education to coordinated school health and the national initiatives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Healthy People 2020, The Whole Child, and 21st Century Skills. The remaining chapters provide guidance to plan implement, and assess performance tasks. Readers are shown how to establish student needs, select content and skill performance indicators to meet those needs, and plan and implement assessment and instructions.

Formative assessment has recently become a focus of renewed research as state and federal policy-makers realize that summative assessments have reached a point of diminishing returns as a tool for increasing student achievement. Consequently, supporters of large-scale testing programs are now beginning to consider the potential of formative assessments to improve student achievement. The mission of this handbook is to comprehensively profile this burgeoning field of study. Written by leading international scholars and practitioners, each chapter includes a discussion of key issues that dominate formative assessment policy and practice today, as well as those that are likely to affect research and practice in the coming years. Key features include: Comprehensive – nineteen chapters cover all aspects of formative assessment including classroom assessment, large-scale applications, technological applications, applications for special needs students, K-12 and post-secondary applications, psychometric considerations, case studies, and discussion of alternative assessment formats such as portfolios and performance assessments. Integrative – thoughtful attention is given to the integration of large-scale and classroom assessments. Practical – provides practical guidance on how to conduct formative assessments that generate credible information to guide instruction. Global – provides perspectives from leading international scholars and practitioners whose expertise spans diverse settings, student populations, and educational systems. Accessible Style – although grounded in the latest research, the book’s style and tone has been carefully crafted to make it accessible to both the textbook and professional markets. It will also be a critical reference book for researchers in teacher preparation, educational administration, and educational policy studies.

Learn everything you need to know to implement an integrated system of assessment and grading. The author details the specific benefits of formative assessment and explains how to design and interpret three different types of formative assessments, how to track student progress, and how to assign meaningful grades. Detailed examples bring each concept to life, and chapter exercises reinforce the content.

Formative assessment is one of the best ways to increase student learning and enhance teacher quality. But effective formative assessment is not part of most classrooms, largely because teachers misunderstand what it is and don't have the necessary skills to implement it. In the updated 2nd edition of this practical guide for school leaders, authors Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart define formative assessment as an active, continual process in which teachers and students work together—every day, every minute—to gather evidence of learning, always keeping in mind three guiding questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? What strategy or strategies can help me get to where I need to go? Chapters focus on the six interrelated elements of formative assessment: (1) shared learning targets and criteria for success, (2) feedback that feeds learning forward, (3) student self-assessment and peer assessment, (4) student goal setting, (5) strategic teacher questioning, and (6) student engagement in asking effective questions. Using specific examples based on their extensive work with teachers, the authors provide - Strategic talking points and conversation starters to address common misconceptions about formative assessment; - Practical classroom strategies to share with teachers that cultivate students as self-regulated, assessment-capable learners; - Ways to model the elements of formative assessment in conversations with teachers about their professional learning; - "What if" scenarios and advice for how to deal with them; and - Questions for reflection to gauge understanding and progress. As Moss and Brookhart emphasize, the goal is not to "do" formative assessment, but to embrace a major cultural change that moves away from teacher-led instruction to a partnership of intentional inquiry between student and teacher, with better teaching and learning as the outcome.